“America’s attack on targets in Syria is a violation of its sovereignty,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani told Reuters, adding that “the US attack in Syria was not directed against groups associated with it.”

Earlier, US Central Command announced in a statement that the US military carried out airstrikes on Iranian-backed groups in Deir ez-Zor, Syria, on Tuesday.

U.S. Central Command communications director Colonel Joe Buccino said in a statement that the strikes targeted “infrastructure used by groups associated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps,” noting that “at the direction of U.S. President Joe Biden, U.S. forces launched targeted air strikes in Deir ez-Zor. Al-Zour is Syria and these targeted strikes are designed to defend and protect US forces from attacks like the one that took place on August 15 against US personnel by Iranian-backed groups.