US Conducts Air Strikes in Syria After Contractor Killed

Facts

• In response to an alleged Iranian drone attack that killed a US contractor in northeast Syria Thursday, US Sec. of Defense Lloyd Austin said the Biden admin. ordered airstrikes against facilities in Syria's eastern Deir ez-Zor governorate used by groups affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.¹
• The Dept. of Defense said that Thursday's attack occurred in al-Hasakah, a region controlled by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) when a 'one-way unmanned aerial vehicle struck a maintenance facility on a Coalition base.'²
• The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that 11 Iranian-backed fighters were killed in the US strike, with six fighters killed in Deir ez-Zor city, two in Mayadeen, and three at a military post near the town of al-Bukamal along the Iraqi border.³
• Iranian media reported that no Iranians had been killed and denied that the target was a Tehran-aligned military post. It was reported, however, that a rural development center and a grain center near a military airport were hit.⁴
• Israel and the US have carried out repeated air strikes against government forces and their Iran-backed allies in the Deir ez-Zor region, which straddles the Iraqi border. The US also accuses Iran of attacks against facilities housing US forces in Iraq and Syria.⁵
• Meanwhile, it was reported Friday that the al-Omar oil field, which houses a US base, was struck with missiles in a second attack. According to the Pentagon, no US troops were injured or killed, and no infrastructure was damaged. A civilian house nearby was reportedly hit, however, injuring two women and two children.⁶

Sources: ¹New York Times, ²France 24, ³Al Jazeera, ⁴Reuters, ⁵NBC and ⁶Al arabiya english.

Narratives

• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by FOX News. The US will not tolerate Iranian attacks against US forces in Iraq or Syria. Any attack by Iranian-backed forces will result in strong reprisals, as the US must defend its positions against Iranian aggression. Iran has deployed its terrorist militias throughout Syria and Iraq, and US forces must counter these threats whenever necessary.
• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Al mayadeen english. The US has relentlessly attacked Syria as it continues its illegal occupation of the country. Iran is a friend of Syria and has been invited by the government to help protect Damascus from Western-backed terrorists. Though the US says it's in Syria to 'fight the Islamic State [group],' in reality, its only goal is to steal oil and block any resistance to Western neo-colonialism.