Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced that “U.S. military forces conducted a self-defence strike on a facility in eastern Syria used by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and affiliated groups… [in] response to a series of attacks against U.S. personnel in Iraq and Syria by IRGC-Quds Force affiliates”. “The U.S. is fully prepared to take further necessary measures to protect our people and our facilities”, he asserted. “We urge against any escalation. U.S. personnel will continue to conduct counter-ISIS missions in Iraq and Syria”. He later highlighted that “our goal is to make sure that the conflict that’s in Gaza doesn’t expand and become a region-wide conflict”. A Pentagon spokesperson confirmed one attack in Iraq and three in Syria against U.S. and coalition forces following the strike, injuring three.