US forces in Syria come under attack after airstrikes on Iran-backed militias
Renewed fighting in Iraq and Syria is bound to set off scrutiny in Congress.
Iran-backed militias launched several rockets near a US-led coalition base in eastern Syria on Monday evening in apparent retaliation for American airstrikes that killed four of their fighters the night prior.
No US or coalition personnel were initially reported hurt in the attack, according to Operation Inherent Resolve spokesperson Col. Wayne Marotto. US troops responded to the barrage with their own artillery fire aimed at knocking out the launch sites, Marotto said.
Local networks Ayn al-Furat and Deir Ezzor 24 also reported that the United States responded with airstrikes, which neither the coalition nor Pentagon has confirmed.
The blows follow a series of tit-for-tat exchanges between Iran-backed militias and US-led coalition forces in Iraq in recent years, but they mark a rare spread of the conflict into neighboring Syria.
