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The United States on Thursday carried out an airstrike in Syria against a structure belonging to what it said were Iranian-backed militias, two officials told Reuters, an apparent response to rocket attacks on US targets in Iraq.
While the strike could be the first US retaliatory measure after last week’s attacks, the measure appeared to be limited in scope, potentially reducing the risk of escalation.
Furthermore, the decision to strike only in Syria and not in Iraq would give the Iraqi government some breathing space as it conducts its own investigation of a February 15 attack that injured Americans.
The airstrike was the first military action undertaken by the Biden administration, which in its first weeks has emphasized its intention to put more focus on the challenges posed by China.
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The United States on Thursday carried out an airstrike in Syria against a structure that belonged to what it said were Iranian-backed militias, two officials told Reuters, an apparent response to rocket attacks on US targets in Iraq.
A view of the scene after a rocket attack outside the international airport in Erbil, the capital of Iraq’s northern Kurdish region on February 16.
The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the strike was approved by President Joe Biden.
In announcing the attacks, John Kirby, the Pentagon’s chief spokesman, said: “This provided military response was carried out in conjunction with diplomatic measures, including consultation with coalition partners.”
‘The operation sends an unequivocal message: President Biden will act to protect American and coalition personnel. At the same time, we have acted in a deliberate manner that aims to reduce the overall situation in eastern Syria and Iraq. ”
Pentagon officials said they offered several larger sets of targets, but Biden approved the smaller option.
Retaliatory US military strikes have occurred several times in recent years. The rocket attacks on US positions in Iraq were carried out as Washington and Tehran seek a way to return to the 2015 nuclear deal abandoned by former President Donald Trump.
Officials in the Biden administration condemned the Feb. 15 rocket attack near the city of Irbil in Iraq’s Kurdish-led semi-autonomous region, but as recently as this week officials indicated they had not determined with certainty by whom. carried out.
Officials have noted that Iran-backed Shiite militia groups have been responsible for numerous rocket attacks on US personnel or facilities in Iraq in the past.
Kirby, the Pentagon spokesman, had said Tuesday that Iraq is in charge of investigating the February 15 attack.
A view of Erbil International Airport after flights were restarted, following a rocket attack outside the international airport, in Erbil, Iraq, on February 16.
A view of the scene after a rocket attack outside the international airport in Erbil, the capital of Iraq’s northern Kurdish region on February 16. The group, calling itself Guardian of the Blood Brigades, said in a statement that it had fired 24 rockets at the airport and hit the target.
“At this time, we cannot give you some attribution as to who was behind these attacks, which groups, and I am not going to go into the tactical details of each weapon used here,” Kirby said.
“Let the investigations be completed and concluded, and then when we have more to say, we will.”
A little-known Shiite militant group calling itself Saraya Awliya al-Dam, in Arabic for Guardians of the Blood Brigade, claimed responsibility for the February 15 attack.
A week later, a rocket attack in Baghdad’s Green Zone appeared to target the US Embassy compound, but no one was injured.
Iran said this week that it has no ties to the Bloodguard Brigade.
The frequency of attacks by Shiite militia groups on US targets in Iraq declined late last year before Biden’s inauguration, although now Iran is pressuring the United States to return to the 2015 Tehran nuclear deal.
The United States under the previous Trump administration blamed Iranian-backed groups for carrying out the attacks.
Tensions soared after a Washington-led drone strike that killed senior Iranian general Qassem Soleimani and powerful Iraqi militia leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis last year.
Trump had said that the death of an American contractor would be a red line and trigger an American escalation in Iraq.
The December 2019 killing of an American civilian contractor in a rocket attack in Kirkuk sparked a tit-for-tat fight on Iraqi soil that brought the country to the brink of indirect warfare.
US forces have been significantly reduced in Iraq to 2,500 personnel and are no longer engaged in combat missions with Iraqi forces in ongoing operations against the Islamic State group.
