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Joe Biden says the attack in Syria is a clear message for Iran. The US President is visiting Houston, Texas, to see cleanup and relief efforts after severe winter storms and to see the mass vaccination that is underway. Photo: Patrick Semansky / AP / NTB
President Joe Biden says the US airstrikes against Iranian-backed fighters in eastern Syria should be seen as a warning to Iran.
– You cannot act with impunity, answered Biden when asked what message the attack sent. “Be careful,” he added, commenting briefly on the attack during his visit to Houston. He’s in town to see relief efforts after severe winter weather in Texas.
Hours earlier, Biden’s press secretary Jen Psaki described the attack as “a clear message that you will act to protect Americans, and when there are dangers, you have the right to act when and how you want.”
At least 22 died
At least 22 Iranian-backed fighters were killed in the attack, according to the exile group Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The airstrikes took place near the border with Iraq. The Pentagon calls the operation retaliation for a rocket attack in Iraq earlier this month.
A Pentagon spokesman, John Kirby, said seven precision-guided bombs were dropped that destroyed nine facilities and partially destroyed two facilities allegedly used by various Iran-backed militia groups.
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Refuses to give numbers
He says the Pentagon has “preliminary details on deaths and injuries,” but refuses to give figures.
The United States describes the attack as a “proportionate military response” that will not increase tensions in the area. Iran, for its part, has condemned the attack and says it will increase tensions in the war-torn country and thwart the peace process.
“These illegal attacks are a clear violation of international law and the territorial integrity of Syria,” a spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry told the Tasnim news agency.
