U.S. strikes Iran-backed groups in Syria after drone kills an American and injures 6 others

President Biden on Friday said the U. S. will "act forcefully" to protect its troops and other personnel in Syria after a drone strike by suspected Iranian proxies in the northeast part of the country killed an American contractor and wounded five American service members and another U.S. contractor.

Details: A U. S. intelligence assessment determined that the "one-way unmanned aerial vehicle" that struck a maintenance facility on a coalition base near Hasakah on Thursday was "of Iranian origin," per a U.S. Defense Department statement issued late Thursday.

* Two of the wounded service members were treated on-site, while the three others and the U.S. contractor were taken to coalition medical facilities in Iraq following the incident, which happened just after 1:30pm local time, according to the statement.

What they're saying: “The United States does not, does not seek conflict with Iran,” Biden said from Canada, where he was concluding a two-day state visit.

* The U.S. will, however, "act forcefully to protect our people. That’s exactly what happened last night," Biden added, referring to the "precision airstrikes" U.S. Central Command forces conducted late Thursday in eastern Syria against facilities used by groups affiliated with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.... (Read more)

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