U.S. carries out airstrike in Syria after rocket attacks - Lara Seligman

U.S. carries out airstrike in Syria after rocket attacks –

The U.S. has carried out an airstrike on a structure connected to an Iran-backed militia in Syria, following three separate rocket attacks against U.S. forces in Iraq, according to a defense official.

The strike, which was ordered by President Joe Biden, was designed to damage the militia group’s ability to conduct future attacks, the official said. The military action was carried out by the U.S. without coalition partners.

The strike was defensive in nature, but was a response to the three attacks endangering Americans in Iraqi this month, the official said.

The retaliatory strike comes more than a week after a dozen rockets believed to be linked to an Iran-backed militia group targeted coalition forces outside Irbil International Airport, killing one non-U.S. contractor and wounding nine more people, including five Americans.

Then on Saturday, at least four rockets struck Balad Air Base, which houses American contractors who provide support to Iraq’s fleet of U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets, wounding one person.

And on Monday, two rockets fell near the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, inside the Green Zone. No injuries or casualties resulted.

Biden initially faced criticism for not immediately pinning blame for the attacks on Iran, which has frequently carried out similar strikes against U.S. and coalition troops in Iraq. Some have been fatal.

Thursday’s strike comes as the Biden administration strives to renew negotiations with Iran after former President Trump withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal, sparking escalating tensions between Washington and Tehran.

– February 25, 2021 at 07:28PM