U.S. not looking for conflict with Syria's forces, Pentagon says
The United States is not looking for a conflict with Syrian government forces but has a right to self-defense, the Pentagon said on Thursday, after the U.S.-led coalition repelled an attack by pro-Syrian forces and, according to one account, killed more than 100 of them, Reuters reported.
“Our forces have the inherent right of self defense. We are not looking for a conflict with the regime,” Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White told a news briefing.
BBC reported the strikes happened in the Middle Euphrates Valley, which serves as an informal demarcation line in eastern Syria. The government controls the western side and the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) the east.
The two sides have clashed over the past year while trying to drive Islamic State (IS) militants from their last major stronghold in the country.
The Syrian foreign ministry described the latest strikes as "a war crime and a crime against humanity".