The US military on Thursday struck a site in Syria used by two Iranian-backed militia groups in response to rocket attacks on American forces in the region in the past two weeks.
According to a US official who spoke to the media, a handful of militants were killed in the strikes.
The strikes, which mark the US military’s first known action under President Joe Biden, swiftly drew some criticism from Democratic lawmakers, and commendation from some Republicans.
The site was not specifically tied to the rocket attacks, but Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said he was confident it was used by the same Iranian-backed Shia militias targeting US and coalition forces in Iraq with rocket attacks.
Also speaking, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said the strikes took place at President Biden’s direction and were authorized not just to respond to the recent attacks against American and coalition forces but also to deal with ongoing threats to those personnel.
Speaking further, Kirby said the strikes destroyed multiple facilities located at a border control point used by a number of Iranian-backed militant groups, including Kata’ib Hezbollah and Kata’ib Sayyid al Shuhada, and sends an unambiguous message that President Biden will act to protect American coalition personnel.
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