美国军方在东部进行了报复性空袭叙利亚五角大楼表示，周四针对伊朗支持的组织，此前一架无人机袭击了该地区的一个美国基地，造成一名美国承包商死亡，六人受伤，其中包括五名美国军人。
“今天早些时候，一架单向无人机在当地时间下午1点38分左右袭击了叙利亚东北部哈塞克附近一个联盟基地的维修设施，导致一名美国承包商死亡，五名美国军人和一名美国承包商受伤，”五角大楼在一份声明中说。
官员们说，两名受伤的军人在现场接受了治疗，而另外四名美国人被医疗后送到伊拉克的联军医疗机构。一名美国官员向ABC新闻证实，两名承包商都是美国人。
声明称，美国情报部门评估称，袭击该基地的单向攻击无人机来自伊朗。
美国国防部长劳埃德·j·奥斯汀三世(Lloyd J. Austin III)在周四晚些时候发表的声明中说，“根据(乔·拜登)总统的指示，我授权美国中央司令部部队今晚在叙利亚东部对与伊朗伊斯兰革命卫队(IRGC)有关联的团体使用的设施进行精确空袭。”。
2023年3月23日，美国国防部长劳埃德·奥斯汀在美国华盛顿国会山出席美国众议院拨款国防小组委员会关于拜登总统提出的国防部预算请求的听证会。
迈克尔·麦考伊/路透社
“空袭是为了回应今天的袭击，以及IRGC下属组织最近对叙利亚联军的一系列袭击，”他补充道。
美国在叙利亚东部有大约900名士兵，为叙利亚库尔德武装提供援助，以防止伊斯兰国死灰复燃。
最近几个月，一些基地成为无人机袭击的目标，在大多数情况下，这些袭击没有导致人员受伤或物质损失。据信，伊朗支持的叙利亚组织对这些袭击事件负责。
“这些精确打击旨在保护和保卫美国人员。五角大楼的声明称:“美国采取了相称和审慎的行动，旨在限制升级的风险，并将伤亡降至最低。”。
奥斯汀说:“正如拜登总统明确表示的那样，我们将采取一切必要措施来保卫我们的人民，并将始终在我们选择的时间和地点做出回应。”"任何组织都不会攻击我们的部队而不受惩罚。"
国防部长补充说:“我们的想法是与在今天早些时候的袭击中丧生的承包商的家人和同事以及那些受伤的人在一起。”
在一份声明中，美国中央司令部领导人迈克尔“埃里克”库里拉将军说，美国“将永远采取一切必要措施来保护我们的人民，并将永远在我们选择的时间和地点做出回应。面对伊朗的任何额外袭击，我们准备好了可扩展的选项。”
“我们的部队留在叙利亚，以确保持久击败ISIS，这不仅有利于叙利亚，也有利于整个地区的安全和稳定，”他补充道。
在周四众议院军事委员会重点关注中东和非洲的听证会上，内布拉斯加州众议员唐·培根(Don Bacon)问库里拉有关伊朗代理人袭击美国军队的频率。
根据Kurilla的说法，自2021年初以来，已经发生了78起这样的袭击。
“它是周期性的。我们看到了他们会做得更多的时期，”他说
“因此，伊朗所做的隐藏其手是他们使用伊朗代理人-这是在无人机或火箭下-能够攻击我们在伊拉克或叙利亚的部队，”库里拉补充说。
美国广播公司新闻分析师米克·马尔罗伊(Mick Mulroy)是前负责中东事务的副助理国防部长和退休的中央情报局官员，他说，美国“必须对叙利亚境内应对这些袭击负责的伊朗部队进行反击，以至于他们知道杀害和伤害美国人的后果将得不偿失。”
US military carries out airstrikes in Syria after drone attack kills American contractor
The U.S. military conducted retaliatory airstrikes in easternSyriaon Thursday against Iranian-backed groups after a drone strike targeting a U.S. base in the region killed a U.S. contractor and injured six others, including five U.S. service members, the Pentagon said.
"Earlier today, a U.S. contractor was killed and five U.S. service members and one additional U.S. contractor were wounded after a one-way unmanned aerial vehicle struck a maintenance facility on a Coalition base near Hasakah in northeast Syria at approximately 1:38 p.m. local time," the Pentagon said in a statement.
Two of the wounded service members were treated on site, while the other four Americans were medically evacuated to Coalition medical facilities in Iraq, officials said. A U.S. official confirmed to ABC News that both contractors were American.
U.S. intelligence assessed that the one-way attack drone that struck the base was Iranian in origin, according to the statement.
"At the direction of President [Joe] Biden, I authorized U.S. Central Command forces to conduct precision airstrikes tonight in eastern Syria against facilities used by groups affiliated with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC)," Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III said in the statement, issued late Thursday.
"The airstrikes were conducted in response to today's attack, as well as a series of recent attacks against Coalition forces in Syria by groups affiliated with the IRGC," he added.
The U.S. has about 900 troops in eastern Syria providing assistance to Syrian Kurdish forces in preventing a resurgence of the Islamic State.
In recent months, some of the bases have been the target of drone attacks that had, in most instances, not led to injuries or physical damage. Iranian-backed groups in Syria are believed to have been responsible for these attacks.
"These precision strikes are intended to protect and defend U.S. personnel. The United States took proportionate and deliberate action intended to limit the risk of escalation and minimize casualties," the Pentagon statement read.
"As President Biden has made clear, we will take all necessary measures to defend our people and will always respond at a time and place of our choosing," Austin said. "No group will strike our troops with impunity."
"Our thoughts are with the family and colleagues of the contractor who was killed and with those who were wounded in the attack earlier today," the defense secretary added.
In a statement, U.S. Central Command leader Gen. Michael "Erik" Kurilla said, in part, that the U.S. "will always take all necessary measures to defend our people and will always respond at a time and place of our choosing. We are postured for scalable options in the face of any additional Iranian attacks."
"Our troops remain in Syria to ensure the enduring defeat of ISIS, which benefits the security and stability of not only Syria, but the entire region," he added.
During Thursday's House Armed Services Committee hearing focused on the Middle East and Africa, Kurilla was asked by Nebraska Rep. Don Bacon about the frequency of Iranian proxy attacks on U.S. forces.
There have been 78 such attacks since the beginning of 2021, according to Kurilla.
"It is periodic. We see periods where they will do more," he said
"So what Iran does to hide its hand is they use Iranian proxies -- that's under UAVs or rockets -- to be able to attack our forces in Iraq or Syria," Kurilla added.
ABC News analyst Mick Mulroy, former deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East and retired CIA officer, said the U.S. "must strike back at the Iranian forces in Syria responsible for these attacks to such an extent that they know the consequences of killing and injuring Americans will not be worth the costs."
