Six Kurdish-led fighters killed in drone attack at US base in eastern Syria.

At least six Kurdish-led fighters were killed in a drone attack on the largest US military base in Syria. The attack targeted the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) commando academy at the al-Omar oil field in the eastern province of Deir al-Zour. The SDF accused Iran-backed militias of launching the drone from a nearby area controlled by Syrian government forces. An Iran-backed militia umbrella group claimed responsibility for the attack. The US military, which has around 800 troops in Syria to combat the Islamic State (IS) group, has not commented or reported any casualties. This incident is believed to be the first following recent US strikes against Iran-backed groups in Iraq and Syria in response to a drone attack on a base in Jordan. The SDF stated that six of its commando fighters were killed in the attack. The SDF condemned the incident and emphasized its right to retaliate against the source. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that seven SDF commandos were killed and 18 injured, making this the 108th militia attack on US bases since mid-October. The Islamic Resistance in Iraq (IRI), an umbrella group of Iraqi militias supported by Iran, claimed responsibility for the drone attack. The IRI has carried out numerous attacks on US troops in Iraq, Syria, and Jordan, claiming it as a display of solidarity with the Palestinian people. Iran has denied involvement in the attack, but the US believes it manufactured the drone and oversees coordination with the militias through its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' Quds Force. In response to the drone attack in Jordan, the US conducted strikes on multiple facilities in Iraq and Syria, targeting the IRGC and affiliated militias. These strikes resulted in the death of 29 pro-Iran fighters in Syria and 16 people in Iraq, according to authorities.