U.S. strikes Iranian facilities in Syria: Pentagon chief

WASHINGTON, Oct. 26 (Xinhua) -- U.S. forces conducted precision strikes Thursday against two facilities used by Iran in eastern Syria, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said in a statement.

Austin said the strikes targeted two facilities used by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and affiliated groups and were carried out at President Joe Biden's direction.

The strikes were "self-defense" in nature, Austin said, and were meant to retaliate "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."

Due to attacks against U.S. forces, "one U.S. citizen contractor died from a cardiac incident while sheltering in place; 21 U.S. personnel suffered from minor injuries, but all have since returned to duty," he said.