Iran strikes US base in Syria in response to death of soldiers in Iranshahr

TEHRAN, July 17. /TASS/. Iran’s elite military force, the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) has carried out a strike on a US special operations command center at the Al-Tanf base in Syria.

"The unexpected attack on the US special forces command center in Syria was carried out in retaliation for the killing of Iranian soldiers in Iranshahr," the IRGC statement reads, published by the Tasnim news agency. As a result, a radar and several US Air Force helicopters were destroyed.

According to the statement, during the operation, "a significant number of US service members were killed."

On July 15, the US Air Force conducted a series of strikes on a military base near the city of Iranshahr in Sistan and Baluchestan province, killing at least seven Iranian soldiers and wounding 13 more.

According to earlier reports, the US-led Western coalition forces fully withdrew from the Al-Tanf military base in southeastern Syria, ending their long-standing presence in this strategically important region. Military personnel and combat vehicles were moved to Jordan.

Al-Tanf is located at the junction of the borders of Syria, Iraq, and Jordan. The base was established by the Western coalition in 2014 to combat the terrorist group Islamic State (outlawed in Russia) and enabled control over the strategic Damascus-Baghdad highway.