The United States military carried out airstrikes on Friday against over 85 targets in Iraq and Syria linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its supported militias. This action comes as a direct response to last weekend’s deadly attack in Jordan, which resulted in the loss of three US troops’ lives. Utilizing long-range B-1 bombers flown directly from the US, these strikes mark the beginning of a multi-tiered retaliatory campaign by President Joe Biden’s administration against the Iran-backed militants, signaling further US military operations may be imminent.
The strategic operations targeted a range of facilities, including command and control centers, weaponry storage for rockets, missiles, and drones, and logistics and munitions supply chains across seven locations—four in Syria and three in Iraq. Notably, the strikes focused on the Quds Force, the IRGC‘s foreign espionage and paramilitary wing, known for its extensive influence over allied militias throughout the Middle East.
Lieutenant General Douglas Sims, director of the Joint Staff, indicated the strikes were successful in hitting their intended targets, causing significant secondary explosions as they destroyed militant arsenals. Although immediate reports on militant casualties remain unclear, Sims acknowledged the likelihood of such outcomes from the operation, which was carefully timed to consider various factors, including weather conditions.
The US says it will strike Iranian-linked targets in Iraq and Syria after killing of three US soldiers at US base.
The Syrian state media reported “American aggression” in desert areas and along the Syrian-Iraqi border, resulting in casualties and injuries. Similarly, the Iraqi military condemned the airstrikes as a breach of its sovereignty, warning of potential regional instability.
This latest military action underscores the ongoing conflict’s complexity in the Middle East, which has intensified since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza over three months ago. The US has attributed the drone responsible for the Jordan attack and subsequent US troop casualties to Iranian manufacturing, as stated by officials to Reuters.
President Biden has emphasized that this operation is merely the commencement of the US’s response, with further actions to be determined. Despite the aggressive stance, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin clarified the objective is not to provoke war with Iran but to protect American forces from attacks. The Pentagon, echoing this sentiment, expressed a desire to avoid conflict while remaining prepared to defend US interests and personnel.
