Eight pro-Iran militants killed as US carries out fresh precision strikes in Syria

Eight pro-Iran militants, including at least one Syrian, and Iraqi nationals have been killed, as tensions are spiking between US and Iran-backed militants in Syria with Washington unleashing another set of fresh air strikes.

With the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza next door, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said, that the incident took place after strikes late Sunday on the Mayadeen and Albu Kamal areas of Syria's eastern Deir Ezzor province near the Iraqi border.

US troops stationed in Syria and the neighbouring country Iraq have reportedly come under multiple attacks by these militants, a move over which Washington has ramped up its retaliatory measures now.This has left many concerned about a greater spillover in the extended West Asian region.

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In a statement published on the Pentagon website, US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said that US troops carried out the "precision strikes" on facilities in "eastern Syria used by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Iran-affiliated groups in response to continued attacks against US personnel in Iraq and Syria."

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Training facility, safe house on radar

The targets of these strikes were a training facility and a safe house near the cities of Abu Kamal and Mayadin, respectively.

The statement further added that the issue of attacks on US troops is being dealt with on priority for the safety of US personnel. "The United States will defend itself, its personnel, and its interests," it added.

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Just last week, the US struck a weapons storage facility which was being used by IRGC in Syria. Nearly four dozen US and coalition troops in Syria and Iraq have become the target of Iran-backed proxies in the region.

"If attacks by Iran's proxies against US forces continue, we will not hesitate to take further necessary measures to protect our people," Austin said in an earlier statement.

Moreover, speaking with the Washington Post on condition of anonymity, a top US defence official said that secondary blasts took place, indicating that the now-ravaged facilities were used by militants to house weapons.

“We continue to message to Iran that we hold them accountable for these [attacks on U.S. personnel], and that their leaders must take action to constrain the activities of the groups Iran directs, trains, and equips,” the official reportedly said, adding, “We will not hesitate to take further measures to protect our people, if necessary."

(With inputs from agencies)