US destroys T-64 tank and rocket launchers in response to attack on base in Syria

The US has destroyed several targets, including a T-64 main battle tank, after a rocket was launched at one of its military bases in northeastern Syria.

The Department of Defence said the destroyed assets included three truck-mounted multiple rocket launchers, the T-64 tank and multiple mortars.

The rocket, which did not hit the base, presented a "clear and imminent threat" to US forces at Mission Support Site (MSS) Euphrates, said Pentagon press secretary Major General Pat Ryder.

• Operation Shader: UK mission to defeat IS in Iraq and Syria to come to an end
• Red Sea trade declines as Houthis grow in strength despite Western airstrikes
• ISIS-K, Islamic State, the Taliban and Al-Qaeda: How are they different?

He said it was not clear who had been operating the weapons, but added: "Our focus is on protecting our forces and also preserving our efforts to conduct counter-ISIS operations in partnership with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF)."

MSS Euphrates supports the US mission under Operation Inherent Resolve, which targets ISIS remnants in Syria.

The operation includes cooperation with the SDF, a Kurdish-led group that has received US backing for several years in the name of combating ISIS.

Additionally, the base serves as a point for countering threats from Iranian-backed militias, which have launched multiple attacks on US positions in the region.

The attack comes as Syria enters a new stage in its longstanding civil war that started in 2011 and had been predominantly dormant since 2020.

Earlier this week rebel forces seized Aleppo, Syria's second-largest city, with little pushback from President Bashar al Assad's government forces.

Syrian and Russian jets launched airstrikes in response to the advance of the rebels, led by jihadi group Hayat Tahrir al Sham.

Aleppo had been under governmental control since 2016 when Syrian troops backed by Russia and Iran took it from the rebels.

Russia has been a longstanding supporter of Mr Assad's government, launching its first airstrike in 2015.