US President Joe Biden said on Friday his country would respond “vigorously” to protect its personnel, after a drone strike believed to have come from Iran killed an American contractor and injured six other Americans in northeast Syria, and that US forces responded by bombing sites in Syria. Syria used by groups affiliated with the Iranian Revolutionary Guards.

“The United States is not looking, it is not looking for conflict with Iran,” Biden said in Ottawa, Canada, where he is on an official visit. But he added that the United States stands ready to “act vigorously to protect our people. That’s exactly what happened last night.” Activists said the US attack killed at least four people.

Although this is not the first time that the United States and Iran have exchanged attacks in Syria, the attack and the United States response threaten recent efforts to defuse tensions in the Middle East, including the Rival powers have in recent days taken steps towards detente after years of turmoil.

According to US officials, two more attacks were launched on Friday against US forces in Syria. Officials said preliminary information said there was a rocket attack at the Conoco plant and a member of the US forces was injured, but is in stable condition. Around the same time, several drones were launched into Green Village, where US troops are also stationed.

An official said all but one of the drones were shot down and no Americans were injured. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the military operations.

On Friday evening, two groups of Syrian opposition activists reported a fresh wave of airstrikes in eastern Syria that hit Iran-backed militia posts after rockets were fired at a factory gas station at Conoco which has a base housing US troops. Several officials said the United States did not launch any strikes Friday night.

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said the US intelligence community had determined that the drone used in Thursday’s attack was of Iranian origin, but offered no further evidence to support the claim. this affirmation. The drone hit a coalition base in Hasaka, a town in northeast Syria. Among the injured were five members of the United States forces and an American contractor.

Austin said the strikes were in response to the drone attack “in addition to a series of recent attacks on coalition forces in Syria” by groups affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards.

During a press conference with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Biden expressed his “sincere condolences” to the family of the deceased American and his best wishes to those injured.

The United States has had military forces in northeastern Syria since 2015, when it was deployed as part of the fight against the Islamic State group, and maintains about 900 troops there working with the forces led by the ISIS. Kurds who control about a third of Syria. . ____

Gambrell reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Mroue from Beirut. Associated Press writers Abby Sewell in Beirut, Qassim Abdul-Zahra in Irbil, Iraq, and Lolita C. Baldor in Washington contributed to this report.