U.S. President Joe Biden hands over the remains of three U.S. service members killed in a drone attack on a U.S. military outpost in Jordan at Dover Air Force Base in Dover, Delaware, on February 2, 2024. (Photo by Roberto SCHMIDT/ AFP) )
The U.S. military on Friday struck more than 85 targets linked to the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) and its supporting militias in Iraq and Syria, following a deadly attack in Jordan that killed and injured three U.S. soldiers. announced that it had carried out retaliatory airstrikes. About 40 other people.
The airstrike is believed to be just the first in a multi-layered response by President Joe Biden's administration to last weekend's attacks by Iranian-backed extremists.
The U.S. airstrikes did not target any areas inside Iran, but they are a concern amid rising tensions in the region amid the growing fallout from more than three months of war between Israel and Palestinian Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip. may increase.
The U.S. military said in a statement that the attacks hit targets including command and control centers, rocket, missile and drone storage facilities, logistics facilities and munitions supply chain facilities.
The military said the airstrike hit more than 85 targets across seven locations with more than 125 rounds of ammunition and included the use of long-range bombers from the United States.
They targeted the Quds Force. The Quds Force is a foreign espionage and Revolutionary Guard paramilitary wing with significant influence over allied militias across the Middle East, from Lebanon to Iraq and Yemen to Syria.
Syrian state media reported on Friday that an “American invasion” of strongholds in the desert and near the Syria-Iraqi border had left scores of casualties.
Early Friday morning, Biden and Pentagon leaders attended Dover Air Force Base in Delaware as the remains of three U.S. soldiers killed in the Jordan attack were returned.
Further in the future
The Jordan attack was the first deadly attack on U.S. forces since the Israeli-Hamas war broke out in October.
The United States has determined that the drone that killed three soldiers and injured more than 40 others was Iranian, a U.S. official told Reuters.
“Our response began today and will continue at a time and place of our choosing,” Biden said in a statement.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Mr. Biden had directed additional action against the Revolutionary Guards and their associates.
“This is the beginning of our response,” Austin said.
But the Pentagon doesn't want war with Iran and doesn't think Iran wants one, even as Republicans ramp up pressure on Biden to strike a direct blow to Iran. said.
“While we are not seeking conflict in the Middle East or elsewhere, neither the president nor I will condone attacks on U.S. troops,” Austin said.
Ahead of Friday's retaliatory strikes, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said Iran had no intention of starting a war but would “strongly respond” to anyone who tries to bully Iran.
Iranian advisers support armed groups in both Iraq, where the United States has about 2,500 troops, and Syria, where it has about 900 troops. The Revolutionary Guards recently scaled back the deployment of senior officers to Syria following a spate of deadly Israeli airstrikes.
U.S. forces have been attacked more than 160 times in Iraq, Syria and Jordan since Hamas rampaged through Israel, where conflict erupted on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people, according to an Israeli tally.
Yemen's Houthi fighters have been firing drones and missiles at ships in the Red Sea, which they say are aimed at supporting Palestinians against Israel.
At least 26,422 Palestinians have been killed and 65,087 injured in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
The United States has already retaliated in Iraq, Syria and Yemen for previous attacks by Iranian-backed groups, including against Revolutionary Guards facilities.
The move could complicate the U.S. military presence in Iraq.
Baghdad and Washington have set a committee to begin talks on the future of the U.S.-led military coalition in Iraq, with the aim of setting a date for a phased troop withdrawal and end to the U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State. It was agreed that a . .
Iraq's shadowy Kataib Hezbollah, which is believed to be responsible for the attack on Jordan, announced on Tuesday that it would suspend attacks on U.S. forces.
But another Iranian-backed Iraqi group, Nujaba, said it would continue to attack U.S. forces in the region until the Gaza conflict ends and U.S. forces withdraw from Iraq.
