US airstrikes on eastern Syria have resulted in civilian, military personnel casualties and caused great damage to public and private property, the Syrian Defence Ministry said on Saturday.
"Today, the US occupation forces committed an undisguised aerial aggression against a number of positions and cities in eastern Syria and near the Syrian-Iraqi borders. As a result, a number of civilians and military personnel were killed and wounded, and great damage was caused to public and private property," the Syrian Defence Ministry said in a statement.
The US air strikes "cannot be justified" and are considered as "an attempt to weaken the capabilities of the Syrian army and its allies in the fight against terrorism," the statement read.
Earlier on Saturday, the US Central Command said that the United States had conducted its first retaliatory strikes against 85 targets linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Quds Force and affiliated militia groups in Iraq and Syria by using B1 strategic bombers and 125 precision munitions within about 30 minutes. Joint Chiefs of Staff Director of Operations Douglas Sims said that the US struck three adversary facilities in Iraq and four in Syria.
Sputnik