U.S. Deploys A-10 Attack Aircraft Supporting Anti-Assad Syrian Democratic Forces

The U.S. Air Force deployed A-10 Thunderbolt II attack aircraft to assist the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in recent operations against Assad’s army near Deir ez-Zor, Syria.

Turkish analysts shared video footage on the platform 'X' showing A-10 aircraft targeting defensive positions held by Assad’s forces on the left bank of the Euphrates River. The strikes, employing guided munitions, supported the anti-Assad Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in capturing the Hasham enclave and nearby villages, including Murrat, Hasham, and Mazlum.

Amid setbacks for Assad's forces in Aleppo, the U.S.-backed SDF launched an offensive to push Assad’s troops from a bridgehead on the Euphrates. American A-10 aircraft were deployed to neutralize defenses, facilitating the SDA's capture of the enclave and several villages. According to unconfirmed reports, the SDF advanced into areas such as Tabiyeh, Husseiniyeh, Salihiyeh, and Khatla earlier today.

Assad’s forces crossed the Euphrates south of Deir ez-Zor in 2017 with Russian support after the Islamic State (IS) was weakened. In 2018, U.S. airstrikes in the area repelled Syrian and Russian forces attempting to seize the Conoco gas plant. With Assad’s regime currently weakened, the SDA may seek further territorial gains in the region.

U.S. CENTCOM: Multiple Rocket Launchers, Tank, and Mortars Neutralized near Mission Support Site Euphrates

U.S. Central Command confirmed it destroyed several weapon systems that posed a threat to U.S. and coalition forces in Syria, including three truck-mounted rocket launchers, a T-64 tank, and multiple mortars. The strike followed rocket fire from multiple rocket launchers and mortar fire targeting U.S. forces near the Mission Support Site Euphrates, a U.S. base in eastern Syria. While the Department of Defense is still assessing the operators of these weapons, Iranian-backed militia groups, known to have attacked MSS Euphrates in the past, are suspected.

The U.S. said this marks the second such engagement in less than a week, following a “successful” airstrike on Nov. 29 by A-10 aircraft against a threat at MSS Euphrates.

Pentagon spokesperson Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder emphasized that these self-defense actions were focused on protecting U.S. personnel and supporting counter-ISIS efforts with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), not tied to broader activities by other regional groups.