U.S. forces carried out the first round of strikes against more than 85 #Iran-linked targets in #Iraq and #Syria on Friday in retaliation for a #lethal-drone-strike against a U.S. base in #Jordan on Jan. 28. The strikes centred on facilities used by Iran’s #Islamic-Revolutionary-Guard Corps and its affiliated militias, including supply chain operations, a #weapons-warehouse, and a command-and-control centre, according to U.S. National Security Council spokesperson #JohnKirby.
Three facilities were located in #Iraq, and four were based in #Syria. At this time, the #WhiteHouse declined to comment on if any militants were killed or wounded in the operation. However, Syrian state media said #Americanaggression resulted in multiple casualties.
These responses began tonight, but they won’t end tonight,” Kirby said.
Washington accused the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group of Iranian-backed militias, of attacking the U.S. base, known as #Tower22, which killed three U.S. Army Reserve soldiers and injured at least 41 other U.S. service members. #Tehran denied involvement in the strike, saying it does not give orders to the “regional resistance factions” that it is known to arm, train, and support; however, unnamed U.S. officials have said the #drone used is believed to have been manufactured in Iran and is similar to those that Tehran sends to #Russia for its war against #Ukraine.
“We do not seek conflict in the #MiddleEast or anywhere else in the world,” U.S. President Joe Biden said in an announcement posted on X, formerly #Twitter. “But to all those who seek to do us harm: We will respond.”
The White House did not provide an exact timeline for the mission’s subsequent phases. Still, U.S. officials told #CBS on Thursday that a series of strikes will occur over a few days, depending on weather conditions. #Washington said it prefers to conduct the strikes with better visibility to avoid inadvertently hitting civilians. “We will take all necessary actions to defend the United States, our interests, and our people, and we will respond when we choose, where we choose, and how we choose,” U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said.
There have been no new attacks on U.S. troops in the Middle East since the Iranian-backed #Kataib #Hezbollah militant group, which is part of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, announced on Wednesday that it was suspending operations against U.S. forces. Iranian proxies have launched more than 160 assaults on U.S. troops since October 2023. Yet Biden is seemingly reluctant to attack Iran directly, saying he wishes to avoid a wider regional war
“There are ways to manage this so it doesn’t spiral out of control, and that’s been our focus throughout,” Austin added Thursday.
Washington’s retaliatory attack follows Iranian semiofficial state media reporting that an Israeli strike killed an IRGC military advisor and two other members near Syria’s capital, #Damascus, on Friday. Israel said it does not comment on overseas news allegations. Still, Syria’s state news agency reported that the strikes, launched from Israel’s Golan Heights region, only caused material damage, not any casualties.
Friday’s strike was the latest suspected Israeli attack on IRGC targets in recent weeks. On Jan. 20, Israeli forces reportedly killed at least four IRGC members near Damascus, including the No. 2 intelligence official for the expeditionary Quds Force in Syria and his deputy. Israel’s military is thought to have killed more than half a dozen IRGC members since December 2023.
In response to growing attacks, the #IRGC announced that it would start reducing deployments of senior leaders to Syria, Reuters reported on Thursday. Instead, Tehran said it would rely more heavily on allied Shiite militias in the area to secure its influence. Iranian-backed proxies—such as Hamas, Hezbollah, and Yemen’s Houthis—continue to actively target Israel and its allies across the Middle East.
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