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US Carries Out Airstrikes Against Iran-Backed Militia in Iraq, Syria

US Carries Out Airstrikes Against Iran-Backed Militia in Iraq, Syria

US Carries Out Airstrikes Against Iran-Backed Militia in Iraq, Syria

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The US announced on Sunday that it launched another wave of airstrikes in Iraq and Syria against Iran-backed militias, this time in response to drone assaults by the Iran-backed militia on US people and installations in Iraq.

In a statement, the US military said that it targeted operational and weapons storage facilities at two locations in Syria and on a location in Iraq. However, it did not disclose that whether there were any casualties or not.

Iraqi militia groups aligned with Iran in a statement said for members of the Kataib Sayyed al-Shuhada faction were killed in an attack on the Syria-Iraq border. They vowed to strike back.

The strikes came in the direction of President Joe Biden. It was the second time he ordered the strikes against Iran-backed militia since taking office five months ago. He ordered limited attacks in Syria back in February in response to rocket attacks in Iraq.

“As demonstrated by this evening’s strikes, President Biden has been clear that he will act to protect US personnel,” the Pentagon said in a statement.

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Biden ordered the strike despite the revival of a 2015 nuclear deal with Iran.

The decision to retaliate appears to show how Biden appears to be attempting to compartmentalize such defensive actions while also engaging Tehran in diplomacy.

Biden’s critics say that Iran cannot be trusted. They pointed to the drone attacks as further evidence that Iran and its proxies will never accept the presence of the US military in Iraq or Syria.

On Sunday, Biden and the White House declined to comment on the strikes.

Biden, on the other hand, will meet Israel’s outgoing President, Reuven Rivlin, at the White House on Monday for a comprehensive discussion which will include Iran and US efforts to re-enter the Iran nuclear deal. Israel, Iran’s arch-enemy, is concerned about these initiatives.

Iran, according to US sources, is behind an increase in increasingly sophisticated drone assaults and sporadic rocket fire against US people and installations in Iraq, where the US military has been assisting Baghdad in combating the Islamic State’s remnants.

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Two US officials, while speaking to media on condition of anonymity, said that since April, Iran-backed militias have carried out at least five drone assaults against the US and coalition personnel in Iraq.

The Pentagon said that the facilities targeted were used by Kataib Hezbollah and Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada.

The strikes were carried out using F-15 and F-16 aircraft, adding that the pilots returned safely.

“We assess each strike hit the intended targets,” one of the officials told media.

The Iraqi government is currently struggling to deal with militias ideologically associated with Iran which are accused of firing rocket against US forces.

Qasim Muslih, an Iran-aligned militia commander who was arrested in May on terrorism-related accusations, was released in June after authorities discovered insufficient evidence against him.

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