Drone attack on Syrian base housing US troops kills six Kurdish fighters

Late Sunday, a drone attack on a Syrian base housing U.S. forces killed at least six Kurdish fighters.

The attack was the first in Iraq or Syria since the United States launched retaliatory strikes against Iranian-backed groups after a drone strike killed three U.S. service members in Jordan last month. The U.S.-backed Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said Sunday’s attack hit a training range at its al-Omar base in eastern Syria’s Deir Ezzor province, the Associated Press reported.

The Associated Press reported that no U.S. soldiers were killed in the attack.

Iraq’s Islamic Resistance Movement, an umbrella group of Iranian-backed militias, claimed responsibility for the attack in a video message. The same group also claimed responsibility for an attack in Jordan late last month.

The SDF initially blamed “Syrian regime-backed mercenaries” for Sunday’s attack, but after an investigation it said it was carried out by “Iranian-backed militias.”

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights is a UK-based organization that tracks developments in Syria. Said Seven Self-Defense Force members were killed and at least 18 injured.

The attack comes as the White House warns Iran of further retaliation if Iranian-backed militias continue attacks. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan appeared on a morning news show Sunday to warn that recent US retaliatory strikes in Iraq and Syria are “not over.”

“It started with Friday night’s strike, but it doesn’t end there.” We intend to take additional attacks and additional actions,” Sullivan told NBC news anchor Kristen Welker on “Meet the Press.”

Separately, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) Said Late Sunday, the U.S. military conducted a self-defense strike against Houthi ground-attack cruise missiles in Yemen. Centcom announced that the United States struck four anti-ship cruise missiles that it was preparing to launch against ships in the Red Sea.

The Associated Press contributed.