“At President Biden's direction, U.S. military forces conducted precision airstrikes in Deir ez-Zor Syria today. These precision strikes are intended to defend and protect U.S. forces from attacks like the ones on August 15 against U.S. personnel by Iran-backed groups,” U.S. Central Command said in a statement.

The statement claimed that the strikes targeted infrastructure facilities used by groups affiliated with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Iranian-backed groups are active in eastern Syria, extensively in the Deir ez-Zor area of Abu Kamal region on the border between Syria and Iraq. 

The statement asserted that attacks carried out against US personnel by Iranian-backed militias on August 15 when the al-Tanf base came under drone attacks causing fire near the Green Village in eastern Syria.

As of February 2021, there are around 900 U.S. soldiers operating in Syria, according to the U.S. Department of Defense.

Syrian officials described the presence of the U.S. military on Syrian territory as an illegal act, an act of aggression, and violation all international legitimacy resolutions related to the situation in the country. (ILKHA)