A key air defense system wasn't working right when a drone killed an American in Syria, pushing the US to retaliate with force
- A suicide drone struck a base in Syria, killing a US contractor and wounding several troops.
- One of the air defense systems at the base was not working properly, a new report says.
A key air defense system was not working properly when a suspected Iranian drone struck US positions in Syria on Thursday, killing a US contractor and wounding several American troops.
The main air defense system at a coalition airbase was "not fully operational" when the attack unfolded, The New York Times reported on Friday. It was not immediately clear what exactly was wrong with the system or if the attackers knew there was an issue.
One US official told the Times that the Avenger defense system could have been suffering from a maintenance problem. US Central Command (CENTCOM) did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment on the situation.
It's uncertain if the system would have even detected the threat even if it was fully operational, as drones and loitering munitions sometimes operate at low altitudes that can make it harder for radar system to pick them up, but that remains unclear in this case given the limited details.
The one-way unmanned aerial vehicle, or suicide drone, struck a maintenance facility at a coalition base in northeast Syria at 1:38 p.m. local time on Thursday, the Pentagon said in a statement. The drone, which the US intelligence community suspects is of Iranian origin, killed a US contractor and wounded five American service members and an additional contractor.
The three injured service members and the contractor were transported to a coalition medical facility in Iraq, while the other two injured service members were treated on site.
In response to the attack, US forces carried out airstrikes in Syria later on Thursday that targeted Iranian-linked groups, the Pentagon and CENTCOM said in respective statements. The strikes were intended to "protect and defend" US personnel, the Pentagon wrote, and were carried out using actions meant to minimize civilian casualties and "limit" the risk of escalation.
"At the direction of President Biden, I authorized US Central Command forces to conduct precision airstrikes tonight in eastern Syria against facilities used by groups affiliated with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC)," Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said in the statement. "The airstrikes were conducted in response to today's attack as well as a series of recent attacks against coalition forces in Syria by groups affiliated with the IRGC."
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors human rights abuses, said the coalition strikes on Iran-backed militia positions killed at least 11 people, including two Syrians, and that several fighters were left injured.
Austin said his thoughts are with the family and colleagues of the contractor who was killed and also with the wounded service members. He added that no group "will strike our troops with impunity."
Gen. Michael Kurilla, the CENTCOM commander, reiterated Austin's remarks and said the US will take any measures to defend its interests.
"We will always take all necessary measures to defend our people and will always respond at a time and place of our choosing. We are postured for scalable options in the face of any additional Iranian attacks," Kurilla said in a statement.
The US still has several hundred troops in Syria, and they are frequently targeted by Iran-backed groups. Washington also carries out routine operations against Islamic State positions in Iraq and Syria, often partnering with local forces.
"Our troops remain in Syria to ensure the enduring defeat of ISIS, which benefits the security and stability of not only Syria, but the entire region," Kurilla said.