Washington/UNI: U.S. military on Wednesday struck a weapon storage facility in eastern Syria it believed was used by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and affiliated groups, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said in a statement.

Austin called the operation a "precision self-defense strike," saying it was carried out by two U.S. F-15 fighter jets in response to "a series of attacks against U.S. personnel in Iraq and Syria by IRGC-Quds Force affiliates."

The military action was launched at U.S. President Joe Biden's direction, according to the Pentagon chief, who said the United States is "against any escalation" in the Middle East.

U.S. forces struck the vicinity of Bor Saeed Street, east of the city of Deir al-Zour, according to media reports in Syria.

Earlier, there were powerful explosions at the al-Omar oil field, where a U.S. base is located, in the eastern countryside of Deir al-Zour.

The current incidents seemed to be part of the recently escalating exchange of fire between pro-Iran fighters and the U.S. forces in Deir al-Zour, reports said.