The U.S. military launched an air strike in Syria against groups affiliated with an Iran-backed militia in response to deadly rocket attacks in northern Iraq earlier this month, U.S. officials said. .
According to a US official, the strike was believed to have destroyed a number of small buildings used by militia groups to house and transport weapons. It was not immediately known how many casualties resulted from the strike, but the official said casualties were likely minimal.
The airstrike was the first known case in which the Biden administration had approved the use of military force against an adversary since taking office last month.
A series of rocket attacks on February 15 in Erbil, Iraq, killed a Filipino citizen who was a U.S. contractor, while injuring a member of the U.S. service and other contractors. Since then, the Biden administration has deliberated on a response.
President Biden mentioned the rocket attacks on Tuesday in a phone call with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi. A White House statement later said the two agreed and “those responsible for these attacks must be fully responsible.”
According to two officials, the strike, which took place on Thursday around 6pm (ET), seemed the most moderate response available. The operation was planned for several days, officials said.
“The operation sends an unequivocal message: President Biden will act to protect U.S. and coalition personnel,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said in a statement. “At the same time, we have acted deliberately with the aim of reducing the overall situation in both eastern Syria and Iraq.”
The strike was both defensive and offensive, another U.S. official said, meaning he was responding to Erbil’s attack, while also directing the weapons used against U.S. interests by militia groups backed by the United States. ‘Iran.
The administration’s decision to launch the strike comes as the US tries to restart Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal. Although the administration has said through its European allies that it would be willing to start talks. , Iran has said the US should remove sanctions first.
The strike was observed throughout the area. Intel security website Aurora said in a tweet: “Three explosions were reported in the vicinity of [Abu Kamal]. Reports suggest that a convoy of vehicles passed through the crossing before the airstrike took place, if a possible arms movement is confirmed.
In the past year, eastern Syria has been an area of intense military activity by Iran-backed groups aimed at overcoming US influence in northern Iraq, security experts have reported.
In early 2020, following the death of Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani in a U.S. airstrike, Iranians carried 50 thermal rockets – a type of high-performance missile – from Deir Ezzour Airport in Syria to in areas close to the Iraqi border, according to a person familiar with U.S. intelligence in the region.
The arsenal was to be used as a deterrent against any U.S. attempt to cut off a logistics road between Tehran and Damascus, the person said. It was also a way to open a new launcher of possible attacks on U.S. troops in Iraq, he said.
The thermal rockets were stored in an underground warehouse, located at an Iranian militia headquarters and elsewhere in eastern Syria, the operation said. In addition, these storage locations house 10 Iranian-made Fajr-100 missiles and mid-range missiles made in Russia, he added.
Write to Gordon Lubold to [email protected], Nancy A. Youssef to [email protected] and Benoit Faucon to [email protected]
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