TEHRAN — Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Monday it had carried out what it described as a "surprise attack" on an enemy special operations command center in Syria's Al-Tanf region, according to statements carried by Iranian state media, though the claim could not be independently verified and there was no immediate confirmation from Syrian authorities.
The IRGC said the operation was conducted in retaliation for the deaths of Iranian soldiers in Iranshahr, in southeastern Iran. Iran's official IRNA news agency published the statement, saying the strike targeted an "enemy special operations command center" in the Al-Tanf area.
Iranian news agency Tasnim reported that funerals were held on Sunday for three soldiers it said were killed in a U.S. strike on a military barracks in Iranshahr. Iranian officials have blamed the United States for the deaths as fighting between Washington and Tehran continues to intensify.
The latest announcement follows an earlier IRGC statement issued on Friday claiming it had struck the Al-Tanf area. At that time, a Syrian military source denied that any attack had taken place, telling AFP that no strike had targeted the location. No fresh statement from Syrian authorities was immediately available following Monday's announcement.
The Al-Tanf area lies near Syria's borders with Jordan and Iraq and has long held strategic importance because of its location along key regional transit routes. Syrian officials have previously said they seek to avoid being drawn into the broader regional conflict unless the country itself comes under attack.
The IRGC announcement came as hostilities between Iran and the United States entered a ninth consecutive day, with both sides reporting military operations across the region. U.S. Central Command has said its recent strikes are intended to reduce Iran's ability to threaten commercial shipping and U.S. forces, while Iran has announced retaliatory missile and drone operations against what it describes as U.S. military targets.
Neither the United States nor Syria immediately confirmed the IRGC's latest claim of an attack in Al-Tanf. As of Monday, there was no independent verification of damage, casualties or the reported target, and officials from both governments had yet to provide updated public assessments of the incident.
