IRGC says it hit US special operations unit in Syria as bombs fall on Iran for sixth night

IRGC says it hit US special operations unit in Syria as bombs fall on Iran for sixth night

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MEE staff
on
Fri, 07/17/2026 - 11:40

Syrian military source says Tehran carried out attack near al-Tanf but not on base itself, as renewed US-Iran escalation enters second week

A missile is launched from an undisclosed location towards US targets in Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain, according to video published by IRGC on 16 July 2026 (Sepahnews.com/AFP)

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Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it launched an attack on a US special operations command centre at al-Tanf in Syria on Friday, as the US bombed Iran for a sixth consecutive night. 

According to a statement carried by the Tasnim news agency, the IRGC said the attack was in retaliation for the killing of Iranian soldiers in Iranshahr.

Middle East Eye could not independently verify the claim. 

A Syrian military source told Reuters that Iran carried out an attack near al-Tanf, but it had not hit the base itself. There were no casualties or material damage, the source added. 

The episode is the first reported attack on Syria since the US-Israeli war on Iran began in late February.

In the same month, the US military said it had withdrawn from al-Tanf, which is near to Syria's borders with Jordan and Iraq. 

Syria has sought to avoid being dragged into the war, with President Ahmed al-Sharaa stating in March that his country would stay out of any conflict unless it came under attack.

Following the attack on Iranshahr which killed seven soldiers a few days ago, US forces attacked the area again on Friday, this time targeting Iranshahr airport. 

The fresh strike wounded at least one civilian and caused damage to facilities, Iranian state TV reported. Electrical facilities and a fuel tank were damaged, causing a power outage. 

Also on Friday, Iranian state media reported that US attacks on bridges in the south of the country had killed at least seven civilians. 

At least five bridges were damaged in the latest strikes, including the Gariveh bridge in Hormozgan province's Khamir County.

Meanwhile, fresh explosions were heard in the port city of Chabahar, in the southeast of Iran. 

Local media reported that another US strike hit a neighbourhood in Bandar Abbas, southern Iran, killing one and injuring eight others, even as the US signalled willingness for diplomacy.  

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said late on Thursday that President Donald Trump was “open to diplomacy” and that the US was still talking with Iran amid the escalating tensions.

Iran's health ministry said at least 38 people were killed and more than 400 wounded in the country since the US resumed attacks on 22 June.

The ministry's spokesman, Hossein Kermanpourm, said that among those killed were one child and three women, while nine children and 22 women were wounded. 

Iranian attacks across region

Drone and missile attacks were reported in a number of countries in the region where US assets are based. 

Kuwaiti air defences were responding to "hostile missile and drone attacks" from Iran, the Gulf country's army said.

Bahrain's interior ministry said that sirens had been sounded across the country, urging citizens and residents to "remain calm and head to the nearest safe place".

The announcement came after Iran said it targeted US helicopters and a reconnaissance aircraft at Bahrain’s Sakhir Air Base, according to the Tasnim news agency.

Several explosions were heard in Qatar's capital, Doha, early on Friday, as the Gulf state announced that it had intercepted a missile attack. 

One child was wounded as a result of falling shrapnel from "interception operations", according to Qatar’s interior ministry.

The IRGC said it also targeted a US maritime surveillance radar in Oman.

Elsewhere, Jordan said that three Iranian missiles targeting the country were intercepted and no casualties or damage were reported. 

In Iraq, the US-led coalition shot down several drones on Friday over Erbil, in the northern Kurdistan region, Kurdish counterterrorism forces said.

Meanwhile, the Israeli army started setting up a new line of permanent military posts in southern Lebanon as a way of strengthening its hold in the area, according to Israeli daily Maariv.

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