What to Know:
At least six Kurdish fighters of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) were killed on Sunday during an Iran-backed militia explosive drone attack carried out against the al-Omar oil field in eastern Syria. The attack was likely targeting American forces housed at the site.
The Attack:
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella organization of Iran-backed Shia militias, claimed responsibility for the attack, which was carried out on Sunday using an explosive drone.
Update Regarding The Terrorist Attack Against Our Forces In Al-Omar Oil Field
Initial investigations have confirmed that the Iranian-backed militias were behind the one-way UAV terrorist attack against our forces in the Al-Omar oil field in Deir Ezzor. The Iranian-backed…
— Farhad Shami (@farhad_shami) February 5, 2024
SDF spokesman Farhad Shami confirmed in a post on X that “The Iranian-backed militias used the Syrian regime-controlled areas in Deir Ezzor as a staging ground for the terrorist attack that targeted our Commando Academy and resulted in the martyrdom of six of our Commando fighters.”
“The one-way UAV attack by the Iranian-backed militias against our forces in Deir Ezzor was an organized act aimed primarily at hindering our joint operations against terrorism. The sole beneficiary of this act is ISIS. We are determined to fulfill our promise to our martyrs and respond to the terrorist attack,” Shami added in another post.
The Syrian Observatory of Human Rights also reported that over a dozen other SDF fighters were wounded in the strike. There were no indications or reports of American casualties.
Why it Matters:
This latest attack comes on the heels of the deadly drone strike carried out by the Islamic Resistance in Iraq against the T-22 outpost in Jordan on January 28, which left three American soldiers dead and dozens of others wounded. Since October, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq has carried out well over 150 drone, rocket, and missile attacks against American forces in Iraq and Syria.
While not officially confirmed by the United States military, unnamed defense officials told AP, ABC, and Fox that the drone used in the Jordan attack was mistaken as a friendly drone as it approached the base flying at a low altitude. Additionally, Politico, also citing defense officials, reported that the hostile drone was closely tailing an American drone heading back to base, further allowing it to avoid detection by air defenses at the outpost.
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq (IRI) claimed a drone attack on US base at Syria’s Al-Omar oilfield.
US-back Kurdish force SDF say 6 fighters were killed.
This means IRI attacks killed 9 soldiers – including 3 U.S. troops – in just over a week. pic.twitter.com/PzQaICVYo3
— Timour Azhari (@timourazhari) February 5, 2024
It remains unknown if the drone used in this latest attack used similar tactics to bypass on site air defenses, which have typically intercepted militia attacks.
On January 2, the United States carried out its first round of retaliatory strikes against militias elements and the IRGC for the attack in Jordan, which consisted of 125 strikes against 85 targets in Iraq and Syria. More rounds of strikes are expected in the coming days and weeks.
