Two American officials confirmed today, Monday, that U.S. forces in Syria were targeted by drones but no injuries occurred, marking the latest in a series of attacks against U.S. forces in the Middle East. The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, stated that the attack took place at the Al-Tanf base near the borders of Syria with Iraq and Jordan. This base is an essential part of the war against ISIS and hosts U.S. and coalition forces training local Syrian opposition forces to carry out patrols against the organization's militants.
What is the military significance of the Al-Tanf base? The base is located in a strategic area near the Al-Tanf border crossing between Syria and Iraq, at a crossroads of a major highway linking Baghdad to Damascus, which Iran hopes to be part of the "Shia Crescent." On October 24, 2018, the Washington Post reported that the "Al-Tanf base," a small military garrison established to combat ISIS, has turned into a military base through which the United States seeks to counter Iranian expansion in the Middle East. According to the newspaper, this is due to its strategic location along the highway that connects the Syrian forces' center in Damascus with their supporters in Tehran, resulting in the transformation of the small base into a fortress where the U.S. confronts Iranian influence in Syria. The base has previously been declared a "no-combat zone."
