The US military launched an air strike in Syria targeting groups affiliated with an Iranian-backed militia in response to deadly rocket attacks in northern Iraq earlier this month, American officials said.
The attack is believed to have destroyed a series of small buildings used by militia groups to house and transport weapons, according to an American official. It was not immediately known how many victims resulted from the attack, but the official said the victims were probably minimal.
The air strike was the first known case in which the Biden government has approved the use of military force against an opponent since taking office last month.
A series of rocket attacks on February 15 in Erbil, Iraq, killed a Filipino citizen who was employed by the United States, while injuring an American military man and others. Since then, the Biden government has deliberated an answer.
President Biden mentioned the rocket attacks in a phone call on Tuesday with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi. A White House statement later said the two agreed and “that those responsible for such attacks must be held fully accountable”.
The strike, which took place on Thursday at around 6 pm, appears to be the most restrained response available, according to two officials. The operation was planned for several days, officials said.
“The operation sends an unequivocal message: President Biden will act to protect American and coalition personnel,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said in a statement. “At the same time, we have acted deliberately with the aim of slowing down the general situation in eastern Syria and Iraq.”
The attack was both defensive and offensive, another US official said, meaning it was in response to Erbil’s attack, while targeting weapons used against US interests by Iranian-backed militia groups.
The government’s decision to launch the attack comes, while the US is trying to restart the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran. Although the government has said through its European allies that it would be willing to start negotiations, Iran has said that the US should suspend sanctions first.
The strike was observed across the area. Security website Aurora Intel said in a tweet: “Three explosions have been reported in the vicinity of [Abu Kamal]. Reports suggest that a convoy of vehicles passed through the crossing before the air strike was conducted, a possible arms movement if confirmed. ”
Last year, eastern Syria has been an area of intense military activity by Iranian-backed groups that aim to flank US influence in northern Iraq, security experts said.
In early 2020, after Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani was killed in a U.S. air strike, the Iranians brought 50 thermal rockets – a type of high-performance missile – from Syria’s Deir Ezzour airport to areas close to the Iraq border. , according to a person familiar with US intelligence in the region.
The arsenal would be used as a deterrent against any attempt by the United States to cut a logistics highway between Tehran and Damascus, the person said. It was also a way to open up a new launch pad for potential attacks against US troops in Iraq, he said.
The thermal rockets were stored in an underground warehouse, located at Iranian militia headquarters and elsewhere in eastern Syria, the agent said. In addition, these storage sites host 10 Iranian-made Fajr-100 missiles and Russian medium-range missiles, he added.
Write to Gordon Lubold at [email protected], Nancy A. Youssef at [email protected] and Benoit Faucon at [email protected]
Copyright © 2020 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All rights reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8