CENTCOM confirmed that “two rockets [had] landed near Coalition Forces at Green Village in north east Syria”, causing no casualties or damage. There was no indication by CENTCOM of who was responsible, but the following day Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu contended: “Iran attacked an Iranian base in Syria”.

CENTCOM reported that “U.S. forces in Syria engaged and shot down an Iranian-manufactured UAV attempting to conduct reconnaissance of Mission Support Site Conoco” in north east Syria.

A senior U.S. defence official stressed that “our forces [in Iraq and Syria] are under constant threat from Iranian-aligned militia groups who seek to constantly harass our forces, which detracts and undermines our ability to continue prosecuting the defeat ISIS mission, and it also directly undermines, threatens and jeopardises the recovery efforts of those local communities who, only a few years ago, were under ISIS caliphate rule, experiencing the worst depravities and atrocities. So it’s truly destabilising”. She further asserted that “we hold Iran accountable and responsible for these attacks because Iran is arming, training, equipping and guiding these groups”.

Unconfirmed media accounts reported that “drones attacked a convoy of trucks” after crossing into Syria from Iraq via the al-Bukamal border.

Iran’s UN envoy told the Security Council that “the presence of foreign forces in the north of Syria under the pretext of combating terrorism should not be used to violate and undermine Syria’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity... In order to create conducive grounds for ending the crisis in Syria, all uninvited foreign forces must leave that country without any precondition or delay, and terrorist groups must be confronted”. He further urged the Council to “compel the Israeli regime to end all acts of aggression against Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity immediately”.

Outgoing IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kohavi reported that “we crossed 52 operations [against Iranian-related targets] in 2022”, adding: “Iran still has a desire… to put weapons and advanced capabilities in Syria… but there is no doubt that we have prevented what was supposed to be there. They wanted hundreds of surface-to-air missiles and surface-to-surface missiles. They wanted tens of thousands of militiamen and a second Hizbollah. All of this was thwarted completely”. Asserting that the IDF had stopped more than 90 per cent of Iranian arms going into Syria, Kohavi noted: “Some of our action is to block the crossings – by air, ground or sea – and some is to hunt what gets in. Just look at the media reports and understand where we operate”.

CENTCOM reported that “two rockets targeted coalition forces at Mission Support Site Conoco, north east Syria… The attack resulted in no injuries or damage to the base or coalition property”.

Israel’s military chief of staff indicated that “we could have not been aware of the Syrian convoy a few weeks ago. We could have not known that it was heading from Iraq to Syria, we could have not known what’s in it and we could have not known that out of the 25 trucks, truck number eight was the one carrying weapons… We needed to send pilots to the right place and they had to evade surface-to-air missiles fired at them. They needed to attack, they needed to hit their targets and come back safely and not kill people who shouldn’t be killed. These are very advanced capabilities”.

Iran’s UN envoy told the Security Council that “security and stability in the north of Syria can only be achieved by preserving and fully respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country and any military operation in the north of Syria would only make the already challenging humanitarian situation even worst”, while denouncing what he described as “the robbery of Syrian people’s natural resources, particularly oil products, in areas occupied by foreign forces”. He further asked the Council to condemn “ongoing aggressions and terrorist attacks of the Israeli regime against Syria”. “[Israel’s] systematic and intentional targeting of civilians and civilian infrastructure, particularly the attacks on commercial airports and humanitarian shipments, are a flagrant violation of international law”, he added, while underscoring Syria’s right to self-defence.

CENTCOM reported that “two rockets [had] targeted coalition forces at the U.S. patrol base in al-Shaddadi… The attack resulted in no injuries or damage”. A spokesperson asserted: “Attacks of this kind place coalition forces and the civilian populace at risk and undermine the hard-earned stability and security of Syria and the region”.

CENTCOM reported that “rockets [had] targeted Coalition Forces at the Green Village base in north east Syria. The attack resulted in no injuries or damage to the base or coalition property”.

A U.S. official denied U.S. involvement in an airstrike against a purported fuel convoy at the Syria-Iraq border; media reports citing “people familiar with attack” suggested that Israel had been targeting a suspected arms shipment.

CENTCOM reported that “a 107mm rocket attack targeting Coalition Forces near the Rumalyn Landing Zone failed”.

A senior CENTCOM commander indicated that “we’re in a kind of uneasy statis” in terms of tensions between U.S. and Iran-backed forces, adding: “Things have kind of settled down, and there's an understanding, I think, amongst the Iranians and the [IRGC] Quds Force, that if they were to do something or to direct something against us, it would blow back on them”. 

The U.S.-led counter-ISIS coalition confirmed that “indirect fire [had] struck in the vicinity of Green Village in Eastern Syria, constituting an attempted attack on our coalition forces and partners. There were no casualties or damage to infrastructure”. The coalition’s commander asserted that “actions like this are irresponsible and are attempts to distract our Partner Forces from their mission to clear ISIS. Due to its indiscriminate nature, the choice of weapon and the reckless manner of its use has needlessly put the lives of innocent civilians at risk”.

Prime Minister Yair Lapid asserted that “Israel is working to prevent Iran from establishing terrorist bases throughout the Middle East and especially in Syria… Israel will not allow Syria to be used as an axis for the transfer of weapons to terrorist organisations, and will not accept the establishment of Iranian bases or militia bases on our northern border”. The following day, Defence Minister Benny Gantz posited that Iran had built “production facilities [in Syria] for mid- and long-range precise missiles and weapons, provided to Hizbollah and Iranian proxies. In other words, it became yet another Iranian front – a factory for advanced, strategic weapons”. “These sites, particularly the underground facility at Masyaf”, Gantz added, “host significant threats to the region and to the State of Israel… Masyaf, specifically, is used to produce advanced missiles”. He also said, “the Iranians are currently working to build missile and weapon industries in Lebanon and Yemen… If this trend will not be stopped, within a decade, there will be advanced Iranian industries across the region, producing weapons and spreading terror”.

President Biden conferred with Prime Minister Yair Lapid “to consult on global and regional security challenges, including threats posed by Iran” and reiterated the “U.S. commitment to never allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon”. The Israeli readout also noted Lapid underscoring “the importance of the strikes President Biden ordered in Syria”.

CENTCOM confirmed U.S. airstrikes in Deir al-Zor “intended to defend and protect U.S. forces from attacks like the ones on August 15 against U.S. personnel by Iran-backed groups. The U.S. strikes targeted infrastructure facilities used by groups affiliated with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps”. Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson called the operation “a violation of Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity”, and asserted: “The sites targeted had no links to the Islamic Republic”. A senior Pentagon official said “we believe we have Iran dead to rights on attribution” regarding the 15 August attacks, adding: “Whether the JCPOA is reborn or not, it actually has nothing to do without willingness and resolve to defend ourselves. And I think the strike… was a pretty clear communication to the Iranians, that these things are on different tracks”. On 24 August CENTCOM announced that “U.S. forces responded… to rocket attacks at two sites in Syria” that injured three U.S. service members, with “initial assessments… that two or three suspected Iran-backed militants conducting one of the attacks were killed”. The following day it reported that operations with helicopters and artillery against “Iran affiliated militants… result[ed] in four enemy fighters killed and seven enemy rocket launchers destroyed”.

Iran, Russia and Turkey convened a meeting of the “Astana Process” talks over Syria and jointly reaffirmed “their determination to continue working together to combat terrorism”, “rejected all attempts to create new realities on the ground under the pretext of combating terrorism, including illegitimate self-rule initiatives” and “expressed their opposition to the illegal seizure and transfer of oil revenues that should belong to Syria”. The three countries also condemned “the continuing Israeli military attacks in Syria including civilian infrastructures... as destabilising and intensifying the tension in the region”.

President Raisi told Syria’s foreign minister that “America’s withdrawal from east of the Euphrates and the entire region is the basic and root solution to the crises in West Asia”. The same day, Foreign Minister Amirabdollahian conferred with his Syrian counterpart on “ways forward for all-out expansion of ties between the two countries, regional developments and international issues”.

Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei told Russian President Putin that “the occupation of the oil-rich areas east of the Euphrates by the Americans… should be resolved by expelling them from that area”. Relatedly, the U.S.-led counter-ISIS coalition reaffirmed its commitment “to empowering and equipping our Partner Forces with skills and knowledge to provide fully capable local forces to defend north east Syria and its people against terrorist networks, contributing to peace and regional stability”.

During a visit to Damascus, Foreign Minister Amirabdollahian told President Bashar al-Assad that “we are opposed to use of military operations to resolve problems… Problems must be solved and concerns must be dispelled through direct talks and cooperation”. He also offered “unwavering support for the resistance to ensure lasting security in the region against the threats posed by the fake Israeli regime”. Amirabdollahian also conferred with his Syrian counterpart on “the capacities of both states for further enhancement of mutual relations in political, economic, industrial and commercial fields”, noting that “Iran’s technical and engineering capabilities can contribute to the implementation of the two countries’ joint big projects”.

Iranian Foreign Minister Amirabdollahian conferred with his Syrian counterpart on bilateral relations while reiterating “Iran’s determination to provide necessary assistance to Syria to overcome the negative impacts of the Western coercive measures imposed on the country”.

Referring to the transfer by Iran of what he described as “accurate munitions” to its regional allies, Defence Minister Benny Gantz declared: “Israel will continue to halt these efforts and prevent the threat to its citizens and the region”, adding: “The quantity of this strategic weapon in the hands of Iranian emissaries has increased significantly in the past year. In Iraq, there are hundreds of [munitions]; many dozens have been added this year. In Yemen, the number of [munitions] has increased in the past year, and the Huthis hold dozens of them”.

The U.S. announced a general license “authorising specific economic activities in certain non-regime-held areas of north east and north west Syria”, asserting that it “supports the Biden Administration’s strategy to defeat ISIS by promoting economic stabilisation in areas liberated from the terrorist group’s control”. The State Department noted that “the authorisation does not permit any activity with the Government of Syria or other sanctions persons”, and went on to underscore that it did “not indicate any shift in the Administration’s policy towards the Assad regime”.

President Bashar al-Assad visited Tehran and met with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and President Raisi.

Syrian state media reported airstrikes in eastern Syria.

Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz indicated that “Israel is operating against weapons transfers and other Iranian threats. In the recent period, we are seeing more stability in Syria and I see that there is some activity between Syria and members of the Arab League. If Assad wishes to be part of the [near] region, he will have to [cut] his negative ties to Iran and the terror that emanates from Syria”.

The U.S.-led counter-ISIS coalition reported that “U.S. air defence systems shot down an armed aerial system entering Al Asad Air Base”, causing no injuries.

The U.S.-led counter ISIS coalition reported that “Coalition forces at Green Village in Eastern Syria received two rounds of indirect fire that struck two support buildings… four U.S. servicemembers are being evaluated for minor injuries and possible traumatic brain injuries”.  

Iran’s UN envoy told the Security Council that “Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity cannot be jeopardised in the name of fighting terrorism.… All occupying and uninvited foreign forces, including those of the U.S., must leave the country immediately and without any conditions”. He further denounced Israel’s “repeated violations of Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity”, urging the Council to hold Israel “accountable for such acts of aggression and malice, as well as its blatant threats to use force against other regional countries”.

During a visit to Damascus, Foreign Minister Amirabdollahian conferred with President Bashar al-Assad on, inter alia, “the expansion of economic cooperation” and also hailed “the trend of the normalisation of ties between regional countries and Syria”, while highlighting that “as for regional tensions, the Islamic Republic opposes any war and supports resolution of disputes through dialogue and political means”.

CENTCOM Commander Kenneth McKenzie described Iran as “the greatest single day-to-day threat to regional security and stability”, noting that “the risk of miscalculation and escalation remains high because of Iran's strategic calculation that it can simultaneously and discretely engage in diplomacy with and a proxy campaign against the U.S.”. McKenzie's statement to a Senate committee further addressed the role of Iran and Iran-backed groups in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen.

Iran’s UN ambassador told the Security Council that “the fight against terrorism cannot be used as an excuse to undermine Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. The illegal presence of foreign forces in parts of Syria which has provided favorable conditions for terrorist activities in Syria, must end immediately”. The Iranian diplomat further denounced Israel’s “repeated violations of Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity… We call on the Security Council to hold this regime accountable for such acts of aggression and its malign activities as well as its open threats to use force against other regional countries”. The following day, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Ali Shamkhani, met with his Syrian counterpart.

President Biden announced that “we have taken off the battlefield… the leader of ISIS” as the result of a military operation in north-western Syria.

A U.S. diplomatic spokesperson reaffirmed that “we continue to believe that now is not the time for normalisation [with Syria under Assad]. Now continues to be the time for accountability for the atrocities of the regime”.

The U.S.’s UN envoy told the Security Council that Washington’s goals in Syria included “sustaining the U.S. and Coalition campaign to prevent the resurgence of ISIS… [and] to support a political process, one led by the Syrian people, as envisioned and agreed by this Council in Resolution 2254”. During the same session, Iran’s ambassador maintained that “the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria continues to be seriously violated either through the occupation of parts of the country or by the aggression of the Israeli regime and the terrorists… While the Syrian crisis has no military solution, it cannot also come to an end without ending its occupation, restoring its sovereignty and territorial integrity and confronting the threat of terrorism”.

The U.S.-led counter-ISIS coalition reported that its “forces were targeted… by eight rounds of indirect fire at Green Village, a Syrian Democratic Forces base with a small Coalition advisory presence, in north east Syria”; minor damage was reported. In response, according to the statement, the coalition “fired six rounds of artillery towards the point of origin of the attack... The Iran-supported malign actors fired on the Coalition and SDF from within civilian infrastructure”. The statement added that “hours before the attack, Coalition forces observed several launch sites of indirect fire rockets that posed an imminent threat in the vicinity of Green Village. Acting in self-defence, Coalition forces conducted several strikes to eliminate the observed threats”. A coalition official underscored that “the Coalition reserves the right to defend itself and partner forces against any threat”, while noting: “the Coalition continues to see threats against our forces in Iraq and Syria by militia groups that are backed by Iran”.

The U.S.-led counter-ISIS coalition struck what the Pentagon described as an area it believed was “going to be used as launch sites for attacks on Green Village”, a coalition base in north-eastern Syria.

An Iranian diplomat told the Security Council that it “must compel the Israeli regime to end the occupation of the Syrian Golan and also stop immediately its aggressions against Syria”, adding: “all occupying and uninvited foreign forces must leave that country without any precondition or further delay”.

The U.S. designated “two Syrian Air Force officers responsible for chemical weapons attacks on civilians, and three Syrian intelligence officers in Syria’s repressive security and intelligence apparatus”.  

U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan assessed that “since Donald Trump made the decision to pull the U.S. out of the Iran Nuclear Deal in 2018, Hizbollah has continued to menace Lebanon and the region. Iran’s proxies in Iraq and Syria and Yemen have continued to move forward. So, not being in the nuclear deal has hardly been a solution to the proxy”. He further asserted that “nothing about the nuclear deal stops the U.S.’s capacity to deal with those proxies. And we are prepared to do so”, adding: “ultimately, an Iran with a nuclear weapon is going to be a greater menace in partnerships with its proxies than Iran without one. And so it is our determination to ensure they never get a nuclear weapon, and diplomacy is the best way forward”.

Foreign Minister Amirabdollahian met with his Syrian counterpart and noted “the need for special focus on promoting economic and trade relations”. He further denounced “the Zionist [ie, Israeli] regime’s aggression against Syria”, and charachterised “the military presence of foreign forces without coordination with and permission from the Syrian government as a source of insecurity in the region, particularly in Syria”. The Syrian minister also met with President Raisi, who asserted that “comprehensive planning should be done to develop and deepen relations”.

On the sideline of a military drill in northern Israel, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett asserted that “we are surrounded by security challenges and the goal is to utilise periods of relative quiet to build up strength”, adding: “we are dealing with Iran and its proxies, in Lebanon and Syria. It does not matter what occurs between Iran and the major powers. We are concerned by the fact that there is not enough firmness in the face of the Iranian violations; Israel will defend itself, by itself”. Speaking alongside Bennett, Defence Minister Benny Gantz remarked that “the world needs to take action against Iran, and Israel needs to continue to do what it needs to on all fronts in general, and on the northern front in particular”.

The U.S. State Department