Missile attack targets U.S. base in east Syria - security source, media

[March 24, 2023]  BEIRUT (Reuters) - A U.S. base at the Al-Omar oil field in Syria's northeast was targeted with a missile attack on Friday morning, according to Lebanese pro-Iranian TV channel Al Mayadeen and a security source.

The source told Reuters the attack took place at around 11 a.m. (0900 GMT) and it was unclear whether it had caused casualties.

There was no immediate U.S. comment on the reported attack.

It followed U.S. air strikes in Syria early Friday morning against Iran-aligned groups that the Pentagon blamed for a drone attack on Thursday that killed an American contractor, wounded another and also hurt five U.S. troops.

Thursday's attack took place at a coalition base near Hasakah in northeast Syria, the Pentagon said in a statement.

The U.S. intelligence community assessed that the one-way attack drone was Iranian in origin, the Pentagon said, a conclusion that could further aggravate already strained relations between Washington and Tehran.

U.S. troops have come under attack by Iranian-backed groups about 78 times since the beginning of 2021, according to Army General Erik Kurilla, who oversees U.S. troops in the Middle East as the head of Central Command.

Fatalities are extremely rare.

(Reporting by Orhan Qereman; Writing by Timour Azhari; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne and Frances Kerry)

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