A high-ranking official Pentagon said that Washington aware of reports of a new “shootout” in Syriaa day after the US military announced a series of airstrikes in that country against facilities used by paramilitary groups close to Iran.

“We’ll tell you more when we know more,” said Mr. Colin CalDeputy Secretary of Defense for Policy Making, speaking to reporters.

He added that the US military would not hesitate to protect its personnel.

The US military launched a counterattack today after receiving missiles from paramilitaries believed to be linked to Iran in Syria, two US officials told the news agency. Reuters.

Those officials who spoke to the agency on condition of anonymity because the information they had was preliminary said they believed an unknown number of pro-Iranian attackers had been killed in the attacks. They did not comment on American casualties.

The shootout appears to have been in retaliation for military strikes ordered by President Joe Biden Tuesday in Syria against various sites the Pentagon says are being used by pro-Iranian groups targeting Americans and US-led coalition personnel in Syria.