US Military Forces in Syria Targeted in Drone Attacks: Reports

A convoy of U.S. forces armored vehicles drives near the village of Yalanli, on the western outskirts of the northern Syrian city of Manbij, on March 5, 2017. (Delil Souleiman/AFP/Getty Images)

Two U.S. military bases in Syria were targeted in drone attacks last week as tensions escalated in the Middle East, according to multiple reports. One of the attacks resulted in minor injuries, a Pentagon official said.

The al-Tanf Garrison military base in southern Syria was targeted by two drones on Oct. 18, according to the Pentagon.

U.S. and coalition forces engaged and destroyed one drone while the other impacted the base, resulting in minor injuries to coalition forces, Pentagon spokesman Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder told reporters on Oct. 19.

A second drone attack reportedly targeted the Conoco gas field in the eastern province of Deir ez-Zor, where U.S. troops are stationed, although there has been no official confirmation of this attack.

Omar Abu Layla, a Syrian expert and activist based in Europe who heads the Deir Ezzor 24 news outlet, said three explosive-laden drones had struck the Conoco gas field, the Associated Press reported.

Mr. Layla also shared on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Oct. 19 that “explosions of unknown origin have been heard” near the gas facility where U.S. forces are based.

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The attacks follow similar drone strikes over the past few days against U.S. and coalition bases in Iraq amid simmering anger in the region after an explosion at a Gaza hospital killed hundreds of people.

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U.S. and coalition troops engaged two drones at the Ain al-Assad air base in Iraq and another at a base in northern Iraq on Oct. 18. Some members of coalition forces were injured in the al-Assad attack.

Brig. Gen. Ryder said that base personnel had to take shelter at al-Assad when early warning systems indicated a possible threat approaching the airbase. While no attack occurred, a U.S. civilian contractor suffered a cardiac episode and died.

On Oct. 19, U.S. Navy vessel USS Carney shot down three land-attack cruise missiles and several drones over the Red Sea that were launched by Houthi forces in Yemen. Brig. Gen. Ryder said the attacks were “potentially toward targets in Israel.”

The USS Carney in the Mediterranean Sea on Oct. 23, 2018. (Mass Communication Spc. 1st Class Ryan U. Kledzik/U.S. Naval Forces Europe–Africa via AP)

“Information about these engagements is still being processed, and we cannot say for certain what these missiles and drones were targeting, but they were launched from Yemen, heading north along the Red Sea, potentially toward targets in Israel,” he said.

Brig. Gen. Ryder said that there was no suggestion yet that the attacks on U.S. and allied forces were related to the ongoing Israel–Hamas War.

“We’re continuing to assess the nature of these attacks,” he said. “In the past, we have seen Iranian-backed militia conduct these types of things. But as of right now, I don’t have any specifics to provide.”

The Pentagon didn’t specify any potential response to these attacks but said that it will take all necessary actions to defend U.S. and coalition forces against any threat.

“Any response, should one occur, will come at a time in a manner of our choosing,” Brig. Gen. Ryder said.

These attacks came as the United States moves to provide security and humanitarian aid to Israel following the Oct. 7 attacks by the Hamas terrorist group on the embattled Jewish state.

Violence has surged across the Middle East since then, with terrorist groups, including Hamas and Hezbollah, encouraging Muslims to attack and kill Jews and Americans.

Much of the violence directed at U.S. and Israeli embassies across the Middle East stems from outrage over a deadly explosion at the Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza on Oct. 17. The Palestinian Authority initially reported that the blast was caused by an Israeli bombing.

Open-source intelligence analysts, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), and the Pentagon have since compiled geolocated video of the incident demonstrating that the explosion was caused by a malfunctioning rocket fired from within Gaza.

Israel also released drone footage of the scene of the explosion, which it stated shows that it wasn’t responsible because there was no impact crater from any missile or bomb.

Andrew Thornebrooke and the Associated Press contributed to this report.