The U.S. military conducted precision self-defense strikes in eastern Syria, targeting facilities used by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and affiliated groups. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced these actions in response to a series of ongoing, mostly unsuccessful attacks against U.S. personnel in Iraq and Syria by Iranian-backed militia groups that started on October 17.

During these strikes, one U.S. citizen contractor tragically died from a cardiac incident, and 21 U.S. military personnel sustained minor injuries but have since returned to duty. These military operations followed a direct warning from President Joe Biden to Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, regarding potential attacks on U.S. troops. The exact method of delivering this message was not disclosed by the U.S. National Security Council.

It's important to note that these targeted strikes in Syria were specifically aimed at defending and protecting U.S. personnel in Iraq and Syria. The U.S. government emphasized that these actions were distinct from the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, and they did not signal a shift in U.S. policy toward that conflict.

In summary, the U.S. conducted defensive strikes against IRGC-affiliated facilities in response to threats against its personnel, while also maintaining a separate stance on the Israel-Hamas conflict.

The U.S. military conducted precision self-defense strikes in eastern Syria, targeting facilities used by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and affiliated groups. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced these actions in response to a series of ongoing, mostly unsuccessful attacks against U.S. personnel in Iraq and Syria by Iranian-backed militia groups that started on October 17.

During these strikes, one U.S. citizen contractor tragically died from a cardiac incident, and 21 U.S. military personnel sustained minor injuries but have since returned to duty. These military operations followed a direct warning from President Joe Biden to Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, regarding potential attacks on U.S. troops. The exact method of delivering this message was not disclosed by the U.S. National Security Council.

It's important to note that these targeted strikes in Syria were specifically aimed at defending and protecting U.S. personnel in Iraq and Syria. The U.S. government emphasized that these actions were distinct from the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, and they did not signal a shift in U.S. policy toward that conflict.

In summary, the U.S. conducted defensive strikes against IRGC-affiliated facilities in response to threats against its personnel, while also maintaining a separate stance on the Israel-Hamas conflict.