US outpost in Syria targeted in suspected drone attack

US soldiers patrol in the Syrian village of Jawadiyah, in the northeastern Hasakeh province in August. (AFP/File)
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Updated 21 October 2021
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US outpost in Syria targeted in suspected drone attack

WASHINGTON: A US outpost in southern Syria was attacked on Wednesday, but there were no reports of any American casualties from the blast, US officials told Reuters.
The officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said it was too early to say who was responsible for the attack.
One of the officials said it was believed to have been a drone attack.
The garrison, known as Tanf, is located in a strategic area near Syria’s Tanf border crossing with Iraq and Jordan.
The garrison was first set up when Islamic State fighters controlled eastern Syria bordering Iraq but since the militants were driven out, it is seen as part of the larger US strategy to contain Iran’s military reach in the region.
Tanf is the only position with a significant US military presence in Syria outside the Kurdish-controlled north.
While it is not common for attacks on the US troops at the outpost, Iranian-backed forces have frequently attacked American troops with drones and rockets in eastern Syria and Iraq


Fresh strikes hit Iran as Israel says war enters ‘next phase’

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Fresh strikes hit Iran as Israel says war enters ‘next phase’

  • Powerful explosions shattered the skies above Iran’s capital Tehran early Friday
  • Strikes followed warnings from Israel and the US they were stepping up their attacks
TEHRAN: Fresh strikes rocked Iran on Friday as Israel vowed to escalate to a new phase in the Middle East war that has spiraled rapidly throughout the region and beyond.
Powerful explosions shattered the skies above Iran’s capital Tehran early Friday as Israel said it was striking “regime infrastructure” in the city.
Internet coverage is running at about one percent, according to monitor group Netblocks, limiting information about the impact of the war on ordinary Iranians.
In Tehran, the war has emptied the usually traffic-jammed streets but residents said that security forces are keeping a tight grip on the population.
The powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) “has closed almost every main street with armed personnel and heavy machine guns to frighten people,” a 30-year-old Tehran resident said from Paris.
“The people are the real enemy in their eyes, not the Americans. Their extremists say first you have to deal with the enemy at home.”
Friday morning’s strikes on Tehran followed warnings from Israel and the US they were stepping up their attacks, first launched on Saturday in a barrage that killed Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
“We are now moving to the next phase of the operation,” Israel’s military chief Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said in a televised statement.
“We have additional surprises ahead which I do not intend to disclose,” he added.
Iran launched new retaliatory attacks early Friday against neighboring countries that host US forces. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
It also launched a new wave of missiles and drones targeting Tel Aviv, Israel, on Friday morning, the semiofficial ISNA news agency reported.
The latest strikes mark a full week of attacks affecting countries across the Middle East.