The United States has launched airstrikes in Iraq and Syria against over 85 targets linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) and militias it backs, reportedly killing nearly 40 people.
The strikes were the first in response to the attack last weekend in Jordan by Iran-backed militants, and more U.S. military operations are expected in the coming days.
The strikes intensified a conflict that has spread into the region since war erupted between Israel and Hamas after the militant Palestinian group’s deadly assault on Israel on October 7. Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani said the attacks represented “another adventurous and strategic mistake by the United States that will result only in increased tension and instability.” Iraq summoned the U.S. charge d’affaires in Baghdad to deliver a formal protest.
The Pentagon has said it does not want war with Iran and does not believe Tehran wants war either, even as Republican pressure has increased on U.S. President Joe Biden to deal a blow directly. Iran, which backs Hamas, has sought to stay out of the regional conflict itself even as it backs groups that have entered the fray from Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq, and Syria—the so-called “Axis of Resistance” that is hostile to Israel and U.S. interests.
The U.S. Defense Secretary, Lloyd Austin said after the strikes that Biden had directed additional action against the IRGC and those linked to it. The strikes hit targets including command and control centers, rockets, missiles, and drone storage facilities, as well as logistics and munition supply chain facilities. In Iraq, residents said several strikes hit the Sikak neighborhood in Al-Qaim, a residential area that locals said was also used by armed groups to store large amounts of weapons.
(Reuters)
