United States fighter jets began conducting airstrikes against Iran-backed militias in Eastern Syria late Thursday in retaliation for attacks on U.S. troops.

“The U.S. Air Force has reportedly conducted multiple Airstrikes tonight against Iranian-Backed Militias within Eastern Syria in Retaliation for the Significant amount of Attacks recently on U.S. Bases in Syria and Iraq,” noted Open Source Intelligence Monitor.

“The Strikes tonight were against 2 Facilities in Eastern Syria used by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of Iran as well as several Iranian-backed militia Groups in the Region,” it continued.

Pentagon spokesman Air Force Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder speaks at the Pentagon on Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023 in Washington. The U.S. military launched airstrikes early Friday on two locations in eastern Syria linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, the Pentagon said, in retaliation for a slew of drone and missile attacks against U.S. bases and personnel in the region that began early last week. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)

“The Pentagon states they want to make it clear that the Airstrikes tonight were only conducted to Protect U.S. Troops and have nothing to do with the Israeli-Hamas War, while also urging all Parties and Nations in the Region to not Escalate the Situation into a Broader-Regional conflict.”

The Pentagon confirmed the strikes were in retaliation “for a slew of drone and missile attacks against U.S. bases and personnel in the region that began early last week,” according to the Associated Press.

According to the Pentagon, there have been at least 12 attacks on U.S. bases and personnel in Iraq and four in Syria since Oct. 17. Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said 21 U.S. personnel were injured in two of those assaults that used drones to target al-Asad Airbase in Iraq and al-Tanf Garrison in Syria.

In a statement, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the “precision self-defense strikes are a response to a series of ongoing and mostly unsuccessful attacks against U.S. personnel in Iraq and Syria by Iranian-backed militia groups that began on October 17.”

He said President Joe Biden directed the narrowly tailored strikes “to make clear that the United States will not tolerate such attacks and will defend itself, its personnel, and its interests.” And he added that the operation was separate and distinct from Israel’s war against Hamas.

During a press conference at the White House on Thursday, NSC Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby appeared to sidestep questions on whether or not the U.S. would attack Iran proxies in the region in retaliation for the drone strikes.

“I’m not going to telegraph punches here from the podium. We have responded and retaliated in the past — quite aggressively, in fact, back in March. And as the President said: We will not hesitate to protect our troops and our facilities, but we’re going to do it at a time of our choosing in a manner of our choosing,” he said.

Paul Roland Bois joined Breitbart News in 2021. He also directed the award-winning feature film, EXEMPLUM, which can be viewed for FREE on YouTube or Tubi. A high-quality, ad-free stream can also be purchased on Google Play or Vimeo on Demand. Follow him on Twitter @prolandfilms or Instagram @prolandfilms.