Balanced News: 8 dead in U.S. strikes on Iran-backed targets in Syria, war monitor says

At least eight pro-Iran fighters were killed in U.S. airstrikes in eastern Syria, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The strikes were carried out in response to attacks on American forces, marking the third time in less than three weeks that the U.S. military targeted Iran-linked sites in Syria. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin warned that further attacks would occur if necessary to protect American troops. The strikes destroyed a weapons depot and targeted a rocket launch platform. The U.S. says the strikes are aimed at deterring attacks on its forces in Iraq and Syria.