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The United States Armed Forces on Thursday struck two bases identified as controlled by Shiite militias with missiles.
This operation marks the first military action of Joe Biden’s presidency and comes in response to attacks directed against the US military over the past two weeks.
The site is not specifically related to rocket attacks, but is believed to be used by Iranian-backed Shiite militias operating in the region, the US press reports.
Declaration of @PentagonPresSec on airstrikes carried out tonight by US military forces against infrastructure used by Iranian-backed militant groups in eastern Syria. pic.twitter.com/dMdsMmpuAO
– Brett McGurk (@brett_mcgurk)
February 26, 2021
According to a Pentagon statement, “theUS military forces carried out air strikes against infrastructure used by Iranian-backed groups in eastern Syria. “
At the same time, we have deliberately acted to curb the general situation in eastern Syria and Iraq. The Pentagon said, adding that the attacks destroyed several facilities at a checkpoint used by various military groups, including Hezbollah (KH) and Kata’ib Sayyid al-Shuhada (KSS).
The site is also believed to be used as part of an arms smuggling operation by militias. The attacks were carried out to diminish the groups’ ability to carry out future attacks and send a message about recent attacks, the Pentagon confirmed.
The decision to fire missiles at bases in Syria was made “top-down,” a defense official told CNN, and not because of a specific military recommendation.
The attacks are taking place as Washington and Tehran negotiate over the country’s nuclear program, and this military operation could complicate an already fragile process.
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