What’s the Story
The very first airstrike under the Biden administration was carried out on Thursday, targeting Iranian-backed militia in Syria.
According to Pentagon, several facilities located at a border control point used by a number of Iranian-backed militant groups were destroyed by the strike.
These sites are believed to be used as storage for advanced weapons from Iran, as well as part of the weapons smuggling operations by militias.
Although the US has not confirmed the number of casualties, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that at least 17 pro-Iranian fighters were killed from the attack.
US carries out air strikes in Syria targeting Iranian backed militias
Pentagon said the strikes took place “at President Biden’s direction”
CNN reports that the strikes, which mark the US military’s first known action under President Joe Biden, swiftly drew criticism from a Democratic lawmaker.
A US official told CNN that “up to a handful” of militants were killed in the strikes.
The site the US struck on Thursday is believed to be used as part of a weapons smuggling operation by the militias, according to a US official.
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said Biden authorized the strikes after consulting with US allies, including coalition partners, and that they had taken place at about 6 p.m. ET.
Biden approves US air strike on Iran-backed militias in Syria
The US military has carried out an air strike targeting Iran-backed militias in Syria, the Pentagon says.
According to BBC News, this was the first military action ordered by the Biden administration and came in response to attacks against US and coalition personnel in Iraq.
The Pentagon named Kataib Hezbollah and Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada as two of the Iran-backed militias it targeted in Thursday’s strike near the Iraqi border in eastern Syria
The US did not confirm any casualties, but UK-based monitoring group, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said the US attack had killed at least 17 pro-Iranian fighters.
An unnamed US official told Reuters news agency that the attack was meant to send a signal that while the US wanted to punish the militias, it did not want it to escalate into a bigger conflict.
U.S. Conducts Air Strikes In Syria Against Iranian-Backed Militia Group
