Iran claimed it attacked an American position in eastern Syria early Friday morning. If true, it would mark the first time the terrorist regime has violated Syria’s sovereignty during the conflict with the United States that began at the end of February.
Both U.S. and Syrian military officials denied any such attack took place.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed it “executed a surprise strike on the enemy’s special operations command center located in the al-Tanf region of Syria,” ostensibly in retaliation for “the martyred soldiers of Bampur in Iranshahr.”
This was a reference to a U.S. airstrike on Wednesday that reportedly struck the Bampur Army garrison in southeastern Iran, killing at least seven soldiers. Some reports place the casualty count from the attack much higher, with at least 50 serious injuries sent for treatment at local hospitals.
The IRGC claimed it destroyed American helicopters and a radar system in its assault on al-Tanf, and killed multiple U.S. service members.
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) quickly rejected these claims as “false,” stating, “No U.S. troops in the region have recently been killed or captured.”
Also, the U.S. military announced in February that it completed its withdrawal from al-Tanf, which served as a hub for operations against the Islamic State from 2014 to 2019, and handed the base over to the new Syrian government. The Trump administration said the fall of Iran-backed dictator Bashar Assad in 2024 removed the last reasons for keeping a substantial American force at the base.
The National noted that the Iranian attack came the day after Syria announced the seizure of weapons hidden inside an oil tanker that was attempting to cross from Iraq into Syria at the al-Tanf crossing. The Syrian Interior Ministry said the weapons were destined for Hezbollah, Iran’s terrorist proxy in Lebanon.
The Iranian strike might, therefore, have been meant as punishment for Syria interfering with Iran’s illicit arms shipments – if the strike claimed by the IRGC happened at all.
There was no independent confirmation of the purported attack on al-Tanf from media operations or the Syrian government, although some people living in the area reported hearing distant explosions.
Al-Tanf is near Syria’s borders with Iraq and Jordan, and Iran launched missiles and drones at Jordan, Bahrain, and Kuwait overnight. The Jordanian military said on Friday it shot down three Iranian ballistic missiles that entered its airspace.
A Syrian military source told Agence France-Presse (AFP) late Friday morning that no Iranian attack took place.
“We deny any Iranian bombardment targeting the Al-Tanf area,” the source said.