The U.S. launched strikes in Syria against two Iran-linked sites on Sunday, Nov. 12, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said.

"U.S. armed forces conducted precision strikes today on facilities in eastern Syria used by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Iran-affiliated groups, in response to continued attacks on U.S. personnel in Iraq and Syria," Lloyd Austin said in a statement. "The strikes were carried out against a training centre and a protected residence near the towns of Albu Kamal and Mayadeen, respectively."

Eight Iranian-affiliated fighters were killed in U.S. strikes that targeted two sites in eastern Syria in response to attacks on U.S. personnel in the region, an NGO said Monday.

"Eight pro-Iranian fighters were killed, including at least one Syrian and Iraqis" in the strikes on Sunday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said.

It is the third time in less than three weeks that the US military has targeted sites in Syria that it says are linked to Iran, which supports various armed groups accused by Washington of being behind a surge in attacks on its forces in the Middle East.

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The U.S. had targeted a Tehran-linked weapons storage site in Syria on Wednesday, and on Oct. 26, the U.S. military struck two other facilities in Syria that it said were being used by Iran and affiliated organizations. The U.S. said there were no casualties in the strikes.

Tensions heightened by war between Israel and Hamas

The strikes are being carried out by Washington in response to an increase in attacks by pro-Iranian groups targeting its army in Syria and Iraq – more than 45 since October 17 – in the context of the war between Israel and Hamas, as the United States has provided military support to Israel against Hamas.

About 2,500 U.S. military personnel are in Iraq and 900 in Syria as part of the fight against the Islamic State jihadist group.

With AFP

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