WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military launched a massive aerial assault on dozens of sites in Iraq and Syria that were being used by Iranian-backed militias and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. This was the opening move in retaliation for the drone strike that killed three U.S. troops in Jordan last weekend. President Joe Biden and other top U.S. leaders had been issuing warnings for days that America would strike back at the militias, making it clear that it wouldn’t be just a one-time attack, but a “tiered response” over time.
“This afternoon, at my direction, U.S. military forces struck targets at facilities in Iraq and Syria that the IRGC and affiliated militia use to attack U.S. forces,” Biden said in a statement. “Our response began today. It will continue at times and places of our choosing.”
The assault targeted more than 85 targets at seven locations, including command and control headquarters, intelligence centers, rockets and missiles, drone and ammunition storage sites, and other facilities associated with the militias or the IRGC’s Quds Force. U.S. Central Command stated that the strikes used over 125 precision munitions and that they were delivered by numerous aircraft, including long-range bombers flown from the United States.
Two Iraqi militia officials stated that three houses used as headquarters were targeted in al-Qaim, Iraq, including a weapons storage area. An operations headquarters of the Popular Mobilization Forces, a coalition of Iranian-backed militias, in Akashat, Iraq, and weapons stores were also targeted.
The assault came just hours after Biden and top defense leaders joined grieving families to watch as the remains of the three Army Reserve soldiers were returned to the U.S. at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. The recent statement released by Kataeb Hezbollah, one of the main Iran-backed militias, saying it was suspending attacks on American troops appeared to have no impact on the administration’s plans.
The U.S. strikes stopped short of directly targeting Iran or senior leaders of the Revolutionary Guard Quds Force within its borders, as the U.S. tries to prevent the conflict from escalating even further. Iran has denied it was behind the Jordan attack. Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi reiterated earlier promises by Tehran to potentially retaliate for any U.S. strikes targeting its interests just Friday morning.