BIDEN ORDERS AIRSTRIKE AGAINST IRAN-BACKED MILITIA IN SYRIA

Fri 26 February 2021:

US President Joe Biden directed US military air strikes in eastern Syria against facilities belonging to what the Pentagon said were Iran-backed militia, in a calibrated response to recent rocket attacks against US targets in Iraq.

President Joe Biden approved the action in response to recent attacks against US and coalition personnel in Iraq.

A civilian contractor was killed in a rocket attack on US targets in Iraq earlier this month.

A US service member and five other contractors were injured when the rockets hit sites in Irbil, including a base used by the US-led coalition.

Rockets have also struck US bases in Baghdad, including the Green Zone which houses the US embassy and other diplomatic missions.

“At President (Joe) Biden’s direction, US military forces earlier this evening conducted airstrikes against infrastructure utilised by Iranian-backed militant groups in eastern Syria,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said in a statement.

He added that the strikes destroyed multiple facilities at a border control point used by a number of Iranian-backed militant groups, including Kata’ib Hezbollah and Kata’ib Sayyid al-Shuhada.

While the bombing could be the first retaliatory moves by the United States following last week’s attacks, Thursday’s strike appeared to be limited in scope, potentially lowering the risk of escalation.

Earlier this week, the Kataib Hezbollah group, one of the main Iran-aligned Iraqi militia groups, denied any role in recent rocket attacks against US targets in Iraq.

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