U.S. contractor killed, five service members and contractor wounded in suicide drone strike in Syria

[catfish1957]

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/us-contractor-killed-service-members-wounded-suicide-drone-syria-rcna76453

<snip>

A U.S. contractor was killed and five U.S. service members and one U.S. contractor were wounded Thursday when a suicide drone hit a Coalition base near Hasakah in northeast Syria just before 2 p.m. local time, the Pentagon said in a statement.

The intelligence community believes the drone to have been of Iranian origin, according to the statement. The U.S. retaliated with air strikes on Iranian-linked targets in the area.

Just picked this up as breaking on Ingraham.

[mystery-ak]

 March 24, 2023 12:36am EDT
US retaliates with airstrikes in Syria after Iranian drone strike kills US contractor
U.S. intelligence assessed the UAV and determined it to be of Iranian origin before carrying out airstrikes in response
By Lawrence Richard | Fox News

The U.S. military carried out several precision airstrikes in Syria on Thursday, reportedly killing eight Iranians, in retaliation for a drone strike Iranian forces conducted earlier in the day on a coalition base that killed one American.

The Defense Department said Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps crashed a UAV into a building near Hasakah in northeast Syria at approximately 1:38 p.m. local time, leaving one U.S. contractor dead. The attack also wounded five U.S. service members and another U.S. contractor.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, two of the American strikes killed at least eight Iranian fighters.

A U.S. airstrike at an arms depot in Harabesh, in the eastern city of Deir el-Zour left six Iranian-backed fighters dead. A second U.S. bombing at a post near the town of Mayadeen killed another two fighters, according to the Observatory, whose reporting relies on local Syrian contacts.

more
https://www.foxnews.com/world/us-retaliates-airstrikes-syria-iranian-drone-strike-kills-us-contractor

[mystery-ak]

Missiles slam into ANOTHER US base in Syria: Iran-backed militants retaliate hours after Biden ordered deadly 'precision airstrikes' on their positions following suicide drone attack that killed American worker

    Iran-backed fighters fired three missiles at US military base at Al-Omar oil field
    US killed 11 militants in strikes after Iranian drone strike killed American

By Rachael Bunyan For Mailonline

Published: 08:23 EDT, 24 March 2023 | Updated: 11:07 EDT, 24 March 2023

Iran-backed fighters fired three missiles at a US military base in northeast Syria today after President Biden launched a series of retaliatory air strikes in response to a deadly Iranian suicide drone attack that killed an American contractor.

The Iran-backed groups targeted the US base at the Al-Omar oil field in Syria's northeast with a missile attack at around 11am on Friday morning.

Two missiles fell in the oil field, without causing damage, while the third landed on a civilian house nearby, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. It was unclear whether the strikes had caused any casualties.

more
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11898631/Missiles-slam-base-Syria-Iran-backed-militants-retaliate-airstrikes.html

[mystery-ak]

 U.S. air defenses not fully working ahead of strike that killed American in Syria: reports
by Ellen Mitchell - 03/24/23 5:31 PM ET

The main air defense system at a military base housing U.S. troops and personnel in Northeast Syria was not fully working Thursday when a drone attack killed one American contractor at the facility, multiple outlets reported Friday. 

The New York Times first reported that the electronic counter-defense system was not fully functional at the coalition base known as RLZ. One U.S. official told the outlet the Avenger missile defense system at the base may have been experiencing a maintenance problem at the time of the attack.

Pentagon press secretary Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder told reporters Friday that “there was a complete sight picture in terms of radar,” but declined to offer further details, citing operational security. He added that U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) “will conduct a review to assess what happened.”

more
https://thehill.com/policy/defense/3917186-u-s-air-defenses-not-fully-working-ahead-of-strike-that-killed-american-in-syria-reports/

[NavyCanDo]

And more missiles fired at the American outpost today injuring more US soldiers.

[jafo2010]

We are in Syria, WHY? 

Americans are being attacked and we are trading dead soldiers with Iran WHY?  They kill 5 we kill 8.  We should be destroying an entire base, an entire city of Iranians.  And while doing so tell Iran any further attacks will result in the complete annihilation of all their soldiers in Syria.

We are doing a great job protecting our men on the ground!

[mountaineer]

Matt Wolking
@MattWolking

Reuters 3/5: Mark Milley “flew to Syria to … review safeguards for American forces against attacks, including from drones flown by Iran-backed militia”

NYT 3/24: A drone killed 1 American & wounded 6 because “the main air defense system at the base was ‘not fully operational’”

6:33 AM · Mar 25, 2023