Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Friday it had launched an attack on a former US special operations command centre at al-Tanf in Syria, claiming the strike was carried out in retaliation for the killing of Iranian soldiers in Iranshahr, according to Iranian state media.
However, the US military announced in February that it had completed its withdrawal from the al-Tanf base, located near the tri-border area where Syria, Jordan, and Iraq meet.
Syria has sought to avoid becoming involved in the wider regional conflict, which has spread across neighbouring countries including Lebanon, where Hezbollah has fought Israeli forces, and Iraq, where Iran-backed armed groups have carried out drone and rocket attacks.
In March, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa said his country would remain neutral unless it came under direct attack.
“Unless Syria is targeted by any party, Syria will remain outside any conflict,” Sharaa said during an event hosted by the Chatham House think tank in London.
The IRGC also claimed that Iran maintains full control over the Strait of Hormuz and warned that no oil or gas would be exported through the strategic waterway for as long as US attacks continue, according to the state media report.
