The United States carried out the first military operation that transcends the Joe Biden era in Syria on Thursday. US forces launched an airstrike on a structure that belonged to Iran-backed militias, according to the Defense Department, in response to recent attacks by US personnel and troops, as well as threats still active. The bombings, authorized by the president, have destroyed facilities located at a checkpoint used by groups such as Kait’ib Hezbollah or Kait’ib Sayyid al-Shuhada.
“This provided military response was carried out in conjunction with diplomatic measures and in consultation with coalition partners,” Pentagon press officer John Kirby explained in a statement. “The operation sends an unequivocal message: President Biden will act to protect US and coalition personnel,” he continued, although “we have acted in a way that deliberately seeks to de-escalate the situation in eastern Syria and in Iraq.”
The decision to attack only in Syria and not in Iraq prevents him from responding and gives him time. The Iraqi government is conducting its own investigation into the attack that injured Americans on February 15.
The rocket attacks on U.S. positions in Iraq coincided with talks between Washington and Tehran to recover the 2015 nuclear deal abandoned by former President Donald Trump. In the February 15 attack, a series of rockets hit the US military base located at Erbil International Airport in the Kurdish-run region, killing a non-US contractor and wounding several US contractors.
source https://pledgetimes.com/us-launches-airstrike-in-syria-against-iranian-backed-militia-structures/
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