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The US military launched an airstrike in Syria targeting groups affiliated with an Iranian-backed militia in response to deadly rocket attacks in northern Iraq earlier this month, US officials said.
The strike reportedly destroyed a series of small buildings used by militias to house and transport weapons, according to a US official. It was not immediately clear how many people were killed in the strike, but the official said the losses 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 national who was an American contractor, while injuring a member of the US service and other contractors. Since then, the Biden administration has deliberated on a response.
President Biden referred to the rocket attacks in a phone call Tuesday with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi. A White House statement then said the two agreed and “those responsible for such attacks must be fully held accountable.”
The strike, which took place around 6 p.m. ET on Thursday, appeared to be the most restrained response available, according to two officials. The operation was planned over several days, officials said.
“The operation sends a clear message: President Biden will act to protect US and coalition personnel,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said in a statement. “At the same time, we have acted in a deliberate manner which aims to defuse the general situation in eastern Syria and Iraq.”
The strike was both defensive and offensive, another US official said, meaning it was in response to Erbil’s attack, while also targeting weapons used against US interests by militias backed by Iran.
The administration’s decision to launch the strike comes as the United States attempts to restart the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. While the administration has said through its European allies that it would be prepared to initiate talks, Iran said the United States must first lift the sanctions.
The strike was observed across the region. The Aurora Intel security website said in a tweet: “Three explosions have been reported near [Abu Kamal]. Reports suggest a convoy of vehicles passed through the passage before the airstrike was carried out, a possible movement of arms if confirmed.
Over the past year, eastern Syria has been an area of intense military activity by Iranian-backed groups aimed at thwarting US influence in northern Iraq, said security experts.
In early 2020, after Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani was killed in a US airstrike, the Iranians brought 50 thermal rockets – a type of high performance missile – from Deir Ezzour airport in Syria to areas near the border. Iraqi, according to a person close to the Iraqi border. US intelligence in the region.
The arsenal was to be used as a deterrent against any US attempt to cut a logistics highway between Tehran and Damascus, the person said. It was also a way to open a new launching pad for possible attacks on US troops in Iraq, he said.
The thermal rockets were stored in an underground warehouse, located at an Iranian militia headquarters and other locations in eastern Syria, the agent said. In addition, these storage locations house 10 Iranian-made Fajr-100 missiles and Russian-made medium-range missiles, he added.
Write to Gordon Lubold at [email protected], Nancy A. Youssef at [email protected] and Benoit Faucon at [email protected]
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