US Acknowledges One Of Its Bases In Syria Came Under Attack
U.S. Marines with Weapons Company, 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment provide security support during mission on Sept. 9, 2018, at an undisclosed location in Syria. (Cpl. Gabino Perez/Marine Corps)
The United States have acknowledged that one of its bass in Syria’s northeastern region came under attack late on September 18.
In a statement released a few hours after the attack, the US Central Command said that three 107 mm rockets were launched at the Green Village base, which is located in al-Omar oil fields in the southeastern countryside of Deir Ezzor. There were no casualties or damage to the base infrastructure.
According to the command, a fourth rocket along with rocket tubes were found at the launch point, approximately five kilometers away from the base. An investigation into the attack is ongoing.
Major General Matthew McFarlane, the commander of Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve, condemned the attack.
“Actions like this are irresponsible and are attempts to distract our Partner Forces from their mission to clear ISIS. Due to its indiscriminate nature, the choice of weapon and the reckless manner of its use has needlessly put the lives of innocent civilians at risk,” the commander said in a press release.
Last month, Iranian-backed forces attacked the Green Village base and the nearby Conoco gas plant base with rockets in response to a series of US strikes that targeted their personnel, equipment and positions in the government-held part of Deir Ezzor.
The new attack on the Green Village base may have been a response by Iranian-backed forces to the September 17 Israeli strikes on Syrian capital, Damascus. The strikes claimed the lives of five Syrian service members.
According to a recent report by the New York Times, Damascus and its allies have agreed to respond to Israel’s repeated strikes by attacking US bases in Syria.
The US will likely respond to the rocket attack on the Green Village, which was likely carried out by Iranian-backed forces in Syria, in the upcoming few days. This could lead to a new limited military confrontation between the two sides in Deir Ezzor.
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