U.S. fires on key Iranian-backed sites in Syria

Nov. 22 (UPI) -- U.S. forces struck a pair of key sites in Iraq commonly used by Iranian-backed forces in Syria on Wednesday.

An Air Force AC-130 gunship fired on a vehicle said to be carrying Iran-backed militants who had launched a missile at American troops in western Iraq, causing "several enemy casualties," the U.S. Central Command and defense officials said.

"On the morning of November 22 in Iraq, U.S. Central Command forces conducted discrete, precision strikes against two facilities in Iraq. The strikes were in direct response to the attacks against U.S. and coalition forces by Iran and Iran-backed groups, including the one in Iraq on Nov. 21, which involved use of close-range ballistic missiles," a statement from Central Command read.

U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria have sustained nearly daily attacks on American targets and assets. This is the fourth U.S. retaliatory airstrike on Iranian-backed forces in the region since the attacks began in mid October, 10 days after Hamas launched a surprise offensive on Israel, killing at least 1,200 people.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Israel would retaliate and repeatedly urged civilians to leave the area before the Israeli offensive began. The ensuing Israeli airstrikes and ground invasion of Gaza have killed more than 11,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, and hostages have been taken on both sides.

In a potential breakthrough, the Israeli government voted Tuesday night to approve a hostage deal with Hamas, that allows for the release of 50 women and children being held by militants in Gaza in exchange for a four-day cease-fire, according to a government source who told CNN, NBC and CBS that the deal was approved by a significant majority of the Israeli cabinet.

The Pentagon said U.S. forces have sustained more than 60 attacks on American targets since then and have reacted with only measured responses.

"U.S. forces have been attacked approximately 66 times since Oct. 17," Pentagon Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters Tuesday night. "32 separate times in Iraq and 34 separate times in Syria."

The U.S. strikes on Wednesday were in response to Iranian-backed forces launching two close-range ballistic missiles at U.S. forces on al-Asad Airbase in western Iraq on Tuesday, causing non-serious injuries to at least eight service members, and some minor damage to infrastructure, Singh said.

Singh said the aircraft was airborne at the time and observed the attack.

The U.S. Central Command said on social media that the American gunship "maintained visual confirmation" of the attackers "from the time of the [missile] launch to the time of engagement" during the retaliatory move Wednesday. "This strike resulted in several enemy casualties," Central Command added.

The United States has deployed more than 1,200 troops to the Middle East to assist in military action, if needed, and maintains a presence in Iraq and Syria as part of operations against the Islamic State group and its allies, which U.S. officials say receive money, weapons and other support from Iran.

U.S. counterattacks, limited as they have been, are meant to discourage further aggression.

This story has been updated to correct that the U.S. strikes did not come from fighter jets.