Iranian militias attack US-led coalition bases in eastern Syria

Two large military bases belonging to the US-led global coalition in eastern Syria were targeted on Monday by Iranian militias, local sources have said.

Bases at the Conoco gas field and the Haql Al-Omar oil field in the Deir az-Zour countryside were hit by a missile launched on Monday evening by Iranian militias Ahd Salibi, a member of the Naher Media news group based in Deirezzor, told The New Arab’s sister site Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.

Salibi said that the Iranian militias were stationed in the desert town of Jadid Akidat but another media outlet reported that the missiles were likely launched from Hatla, a town closer to the base than Jadid Akidat.

Coalition aircraft conducted military manoeuvres after the strike as well as several air raids on Iranian militia sites, Ahd Salibi told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.

The Haql Al-Omar field is the largest of its kind and has a significant presence of US military personnel supporting Kurdish-led forces, who previously played a key role in the battle to defeat the Islamic State (IS) group in eastern Syria.

The US Central Command said in a statement that the attack caused no injuries or damage to the base or coalition property.

There were also no reports on casualties among the Iranian militias in the retaliatory US strkes.

A rocket attack targeted coalition forces in northeast Syria. pic.twitter.com/bcfGjEy9Qn

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) April 10, 2023

"An ineffective rocket attack targeted coalition forces, at Mission Support Site Conoco" the statement said, adding that "one rocket struck the vicinity of the coalition outpost and an additional rocket was found at the attack’s point of origin."

The attack took place at 5:51 pm local time on Monday, the statemt added.

The US-led coalition forces have been in Syria since 2014 with the intent of fighting IS, but have in recent years also clashed with pro-Iranian militias who support the regime of President Bashar al-Assad and have a strong presence in eastern Syria.

The conflict in Syria, which began in 2011 with the Assad regime's brutal suppression of peaceful protests, has killed hundreds of thousands of people, displaced around half of Syria’s pre-war population, and left much of the country’s infrastructure in ruins.