WASHINGTON – The U.S. military launched airstrikes against Iranian-backed militias in Syria in retaliation for drone attacks, the Pentagon announced Sunday evening.
The strikes targeted sites that been used to launch drone attacks on U.S. personnel and facilities in Iraq, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said in a statement.
“Specifically, the U.S. strikes targeted operational and weapons storage facilities at two locations in Syria and one location in Iraq, both of which lie close to the border between those countries,” Kirby said. “Several Iran-backed militia groups, including Kata’ib Hezbollah and Kata’ib Sayyid al-Shuhada, used these facilities.”
U.S. F-15 and F-16 warplanes carried out the airstrikes, targeting three facilities that had been used to control the drones and for logistics, according to a Defense official who was not authorized to speak publicly. All the pilots returned safely. It’s too early to tell if there were casualties on the ground among civilians or militants, the official said. JEFF OK’D
Navy Cmdr. Jessica McNulty said Sunday night that Iranian-backed militias have launched five drone attacks against facilities used by U.S. and allied troops in Iraq since April. Militia members have also fired rockets.
The strikes hit their intended targets, McNulty said.
“Their elimination will disrupt and degrade the operational capacity of the militia groups and deter additional attacks,” she said.
President Joe Biden ordered a similar retaliatory strike in February. That was the first attack ordered by Biden and came in response to rocket attacks on a base in northern Iraq that killed a contractor and wounded U.S. and allied troops.
In April, U.S. officials attributed an attack on a base in northern Iraq to Iran-backed forces using small drones.
Source: USA TODAY