Nasser Kanaani, spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, condemns what he calls the “terrorist attack by the belligerent US army on civilian targets”.
At least 19 people were killed in Saturday’s US airstrikes on the city of Dayr al-Zor (Deir Ezzor), according to the British-based opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).
The strike was in response to Friday’s attack on a US-led coalition base in Syria, which left one dead and six injured. According to the US, the attack was carried out by an Iranian-made drone.
Of those killed in the US airstrikes, 16 are said to have belonged to Iran-backed militia groups, while three of the victims were Syrian government soldiers.
The Syrian government, which is closely allied with Iran, accuses the US of lying about the targets of the airstrikes.
Shortly after the American response, the US Central Command stated that several rockets were fired at the so-called Green Village base in northeastern Syria.
Hundreds of US troops are stationed in northeastern Syria, where they are part of an international coalition fighting what remains of the IS terror group. The forces are not infrequently exposed to attacks from militia groups, which the US says are supported by Iran.