CENTCOM Says Rocket Attack Targeted US Troops in Syria

US Central Command (CENTCOM) said that a rocket attack targeted US forces in Syria on Saturday and that no US troops were killed or injured in the incident.

The rocket targeted the Rumalyn Landing Zone in northeast Syria, but no damage was done to the compound. The attack came after the US carried out a raid and launched airstrikes in operations that CENTCOM said killed three ISIS members in Syria.

So far, no group has claimed responsibility for Saturday’s rocket attack. While there were no casualties in the incident, there is always a chance that the US could escalate in response.

In August, President Biden ordered airstrikes against what the US said was a group “affiliated” with Iran. The US said the strikes were in response to a drone attack on the US base at al-Tanf in Syria that caused no injuries or damage.

The US military presence in eastern Syria, which is opposed by the Syrian government, always risks being a trip wire for a wider conflict. On paper, the occupation is about backing Kurdish forces in the region to help fight ISIS, but the presence is also part of Washington’s campaign against Damascus.

The US and its Kurdish allies control about one-third of eastern Syria, which is where most of the country’s oil resources are located. Local media frequently reports that US military convoys are shipping stolen Syrian oil to Iraq. On top of the occupation, the US also maintains crippling economic sanctions on Syria that are meant to prevent the country’s reconstruction.