US army base in eastern Syria hit by missile attack amid escalating tensions

Shafaq News/ Unknown forces launched a missile attack on a US Army base located in the Koniko natural gas field in eastern Syria on Thursday.

Sputnik news agency said, "The military base of the American occupation forces in the Koniko gas field in the Deir ez-Zor countryside was bombed with rocket-propelled grenades this Thursday evening, leading to fires igniting in the field and smoke rising from it."

The attack came amidst rising tensions in the region. The White House, in response to recent attacks on its forces stationed in the Middle East, including Iraq and Syria, issued a stern warning.

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby stated, "The United States will respond at a time of our choosing and in a manner of our choosing" to the wave of attacks allegedly carried out by Iranian-backed groups against American forces in the region.

This explicit warning followed US President Joe Biden's statement that Iran had received a direct warning from Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, indicating that the United States would retaliate if Iran or its agents continued attacking American forces.

The Pentagon had acknowledged earlier that its forces in Iraq had been targeted at least 12 times within a week. In response to the escalating situation, the US Department confirmed the deployment of 900 soldiers to the Middle East from the United States, including operators of air defense systems.