Biden launches overnight airstrikes against Iran-backed militias
Excerpts:
U.S. military forces launched airstrikes near the border of Syria and Iraq on Sunday against Iran-backed militia groups,
Operational and weapons storage facilities — two located in Syria and one in Iraq — used by at least two militias, Kata’ib Hezbollah and Kata’ib Sayyid al-Shuhada, were targeted, Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said in a statement.
“We are 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,” Kirby said. “The United States took necessary, appropriate, and deliberate action designed to limit the risk of escalation – but also to send a clear and unambiguous deterrent message.”
Iraq’s Ministry of Defense reportedly condemned the airstrikes as “a blatant and unacceptable violation of Iraqi sovereignty and Iraqi national security in accordance with international conventions.”
There have reportedly been five drone attacks on U.S. facilities and personnel in Iraq since April — there are currently 2,500 American troops deployed in the country.
Ordered by President Joe Biden, the strikes were carried out by U.S. F-15s and F-16s, and follow a February attack on Iranian-backed militias