U.S. strikes Iran-linked weapons depot in Syria

United States warplanes carried out a strike on an Iran-linked weapons storage facility in eastern Syria on Wednesday in response to attacks against American personnel, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said.

It is the second time in roughly two weeks that the US has targeted a location in Syria it said was tied to Iran, which supports an array of armed groups that Washington blames for a spike in attacks on its forces in the Middle East.

"US military forces conducted a self-defense strike on a facility in eastern Syria used by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and affiliated groups. This strike was conducted by two US F-15s against a weapons storage facility," Austin said in a statement.

"This precision self-defense strike is a response to a series of attacks against US personnel in Iraq and Syria by IRGC-Quds Force affiliates," Austin said, adding that the US "is fully prepared to take further necessary measures to protect our people and our facilities."

A senior US defense official said the strike was being combined "with very clear messaging through multiple channels. And the message is, to Iranian senior leaders, 'We want you to direct your proxies and militia groups to stop attacking us.'"