US Department of Defense claims the strikes targeted facilities "utilized by Iran-backed militias" that were allegedly used to launch drone attacks against US personnel.
"At President Biden's direction, U.S. military forces earlier this evening conducted defensive precision airstrikes against facilities used by Iran-backed militia groups in the Iraq-Syria border region," Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said in a statement on Sunday.
"The targets were selected because these facilities are utilized by Iran-backed militias that are engaged in unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) attacks against U.S. personnel and facilities in Iraq."
Kirby insisted that the US "took necessary, appropriate, and deliberate action designed to limit the risk of escalation" after reminding that American military is in Iraq "at the invitation of the Government of Iraq for the sole purpose of assisting the Iraqi Security Forces in their efforts to defeat ISIS."
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Specifically, the strikes targeted “operational and weapons storage facilities at two locations in Syria and one location in Iraq, both of which lie close to the border between those countries,” said Kirby. “Several Iran-backed militia groups, including Kata'ib Hezbollah and Kata'ib Sayyid al-Shuhada, used these facilities," he added.
ReplyDeleteJonathan Schanzer, senior vice president at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies think tank in Washington, told The Jerusalem Post: “It is heartening to see the administration set the edge with Iran. Attacks by terrorist groups against American troops should be a red line for any American president.
Delete“Iran, through its proxy groups, has provoked the United States at a time when the Biden administration appears determined to yield massive sanctions relief to the regime as part of the anticipated return to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal,” Schanzer said. “Unfortunately, I don’t see the administration reversing course. Despite this aggression, the regime is likely to still receive everything it wants out of the deal.”
The United States notified other countries of Sunday airstrikes against pro-Iranian targets in the Syrian-Iraqi border region, Pentagon spokesperson Jessica McNulty told TASS.
ReplyDelete"President Biden directed his Administration to revitalize and reinvest in U.S. alliances and partnerships. To ensure the force protection of Coalition force-contributing nations, and out of respect for our allies and partners in the region and beyond, we provided notification of our military action. I am not going to get into the details of our diplomatic engagements," she noted, without specifying whether Russia was notified.
According to McNulty, "Iran-backed militias have conducted at least five one-way UAV attacks against facilities used by U.S. and coalition personnel in Iraq since April as well as ongoing rocket attacks against U.S. and coalition forces."
"Through these and other means, we seek to make clear to Iran and Iran-backed militia groups that there will be serious consequences if they continue to attack, or to arm, fund, and train militia groups that attack our people. We will take necessary and appropriate measures to defend U.S. personnel, partners, and allies in the region," she added.
Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby announced earlier that the US Air Force launched airstrikes on Sunday against targets of Iranian-backed groups in the Iraqi-Syrian border region.
The Pentagon did not say whether anyone was killed or injured in the attacks. But according to AFP news agency the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based monitoring group, said that five militia fighters were killed and several more wounded in Syria "in an attack by US warplanes".
ReplyDeleteSyrian state news agency Sana meanwhile reported that a child had died and at least three other people were wounded, AFP said.
Iran's influence over Iraq's internal affairs has grown steadily since the US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein in 2003.
The strikes come as Iran has been holding talks with world powers including the US about reviving a 2015 nuclear deal, which lifted sanctions against the state in exchange for Iran stopping some nuclear work.....bbc