U.S. Officials Say Russia Responsible for Syrian Army Airstrike That Killed Three

The U.S. military this week confirmed that Russian warplanes struck a Syrian army base in eastern Syria, despite claims from the Syrian government that the strike was carried out by the U.S.

The Pentagon said in a statement that Russia is responsible for an overnight airstrike on a Syrian Army stronghold in Deir al-Zour that left three soldiers dead and 13 injured.

As The Washington Post reports, U.S. military officials argue that they were targeting oil wells located dozens of miles from where the Syrian Army base was struck.

An anonymous American official told the New York Times that Russian warplanes accidentally hit the Syrian army base.

"We've got a radar track showing a Backfire bomber flying directly over the town that the Syrians named a few minutes before the first claims that we killed some Syrian troops," the official told the newspaper.

Syria's Foreign Ministry released a statement this week accusing the U.S. of carrying out "aggression" in Syria.

"The aggression on the military post hinders the efforts aiming to fight terrorism and reiterates that the U.S.-led coalition lacks seriousness and credibility in the fight against terrorism," the Foreign Ministry said in its statement.

"Syria strongly condemns the act of aggression by the US-led coalition that contradicts the UN Charter on goals and principles. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has sent letters to the UN Secretary General and the UN Security Council,"  the Foreign Ministry added in its statement.