US airstrikes target Iranian proxy forces in Syria after deadly drone attack.

American airstrikes killed 19 fighters in eastern Syria this week, in response to an Iranian drone attack that killed a US contractor. The retaliatory strikes killed three Syrian troops, 11 pro-government militia members, and five non-Syrian fighters. Iran-backed militants fired 10 missiles that narrowly missed a US base in northeast Syria, injuring two women and two children. The exchange was one of the deadliest between American and Iran-aligned forces in years. Republicans criticized Biden's response to Iran-backed aggression as weak.