WASHINGTON – U.S. officials said that the US attacked 85 Iranian and Iran-backed militant sites in Iraq and Syria, its first retaliation for the Jordan killings of three American soldiers last weekend.
Spokesperson of National Security Council, John Kirby, informed reporters that American military forces had attacked targets at seven locations connected to assaults on American personnel in the area.
The facilities included intelligence centers, command and control operations, locations for rockets and missiles, and storage areas for drones, according to the U.S. Central Command.
“Our response began today. It will continue at times and places of our choosing,” President Joe Biden said. “The United States does not want conflict in any part of the world. But those who want to harm us should know that we will definitely hit back.”
Washington’s military action is a major step toward deterring Iran-backed groups in the Middle East. Its a risky move both domestically and internationally as Biden tries to stop the Israel-Hamas war from escalating into a larger battle.
The Biden administration had stated unequivocally that the United States would use force in response to the drone attack at a remote U.S. base in Jordan carried out by militants with Iranian support, which left over 40 people injured.
Earlier on Friday, Biden witnessed the three American soldiers who were killed return in honor at Dover Air Force Base. ..
..Syrian state television stated that individuals were killed and injured in the strikes, but it did not provide an exact toll.
Kirby stated that although the number of militants slain or injured was unknown to the United States, the targets were chosen to prevent harm to civilians.
According to Lt. Gen. Douglas A. Sims II, the United States carried out the strikes with knowledge that the facilities are utilized by the Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran and militia members backed by Iran.
“We made these strikes tonight with an idea that there would likely be casualties associated with people inside those facilities,” he said. According to Sims, the US deployed over 125 weapons during the strikes. They were all precision weapons.
The airstrike, which the Iraqi army described as a “violation of Iraqi sovereignty” and “a threat that will drag Iraq and the region into unforeseen consequences,” was carried out against militias in Iraqi border areas that were backed by Iran.
Spokesman for the National Security Council Kirby informed reporters that the United States notified the Iraqi government of the impending strikes prior to their commencement.
Biden wants to stop wider conflict
After vowing to retaliate, Biden and his deputies added that Washington does not want a war with Iran or a wider regional conflict, which the president reiterated on Friday.
Their measured words seemed to suggest that it was unlikely that targets inside Iran would be hit by the retaliatory strikes.
“We will continue to work to avoid broader conflict in the region, but we will take all necessary steps to protect America, our people, and our interests,” Austin told reporters at a Pentagon news conference Thursday.
Iran has declared that it does not want to engage in direct combat with the United States and denied any role in the drone strike.
Following earlier attacks in Iraq and Syria by groups backed by Tehran that injured but did not kill some American soldiers, Biden issued an order for airstrikes to target the militants’ arsenals and other locations.
However, following the Israeli assault on the Gaza Strip on October 7th and the terrorist attack on Israel by Hamas, the frequency of rocket and drone attacks increased dramatically.
The Pentagon reports that since October 7, there have been over 160 attacks on American forces by organizations with Iranian support.
In the meantime, Houthi forces in Yemen have threatened to keep up the attacks until Israel ends its military campaign in Gaza by using drones and missiles against commercial ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
Numerous Houthi drones and missiles have been downed by U.S. Navy warships, but some of them have struck commercial ships, forcing several large shipping companies to reroute their cargo to longer routes.
The last time the U.S. military attacked an Iranian ship was in 1988, following an American vessel that was struck by an Iranian-plant mine. The Navy then launched retaliatory attacks in the Persian Gulf.
“We will not start any war, but if anyone wants to bully us, they will receive a strong response,” On Friday, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi spoke on television.