A number of enemy fighters were killed in the strikes, which was launched from an AC-130 gunship, the official said.
The US launched the latest strikes overnight in response to a rocket attack against two coalition bases housing US troops in Syria in which three US service members suffered minor injuries. In the initial response to the rocket attack on Wednesday, US attack helicopters destroyed three vehicles and the rocket launchers used to carry out the attack, US Central Command said in a statement. Two or three Iranian-backed militants were also killed in the helicopter strike, according to an initial assessment.
The strikes are the latest in an ongoing back-and-forth between US forces and Iranian-backed groups in Syria that has quickly escalated. The US said it was not looking for a conflict with Iran but vowed that it would respond to attacks on US forces in the region.
Maj. Gen. John Brennan, the commander of Operation Inherent Resolve, said in a statement, “We will not tolerate these brazen attacks, and we will aggressively respond by employing any and all means at our disposal to protect and defend ourselves, our partners and innocent civilians.”
This story is breaking and will be updated.