US strikes Iran-backed facilities in Syria after drone kills American

FILE PHOTO: U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin speaks at a news conference following a virtual Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting, at the Pentagon in Washington, U.S., March 15, 2023. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. military carried out multiple air strikes in Syria on Thursday night against Iran-aligned groups that it blamed for a drone attack that killed an American contractor, wounded another and also hurt five U.S. troops, the Pentagon said.

Both the attack on U.S. personnel and the retaliation were disclosed by the Pentagon at the same time late on Thursday.