“About a handful” of militants were killed in the attacks, a US official told CNN. The location was not specifically related to the rocket attacks, but Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said he was “confident” that it was used by the same Iran-backed Shi’ite militias that targeted US and coalition forces in Iraq with rocket attacks.
The site is believed to be used as part of an arms smuggling operation by Iran-backed militias, according to an American official. The site was used by Iraqi Hezbollah militias near the village of al-Hurri, on the border between Syria and Iraq, a resident of the city of Albu Kamal told CNN on condition of anonymity for security reasons.
The government said the strike was supported by Article II of the Constitution, as well as by the United Nations Charter. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said the attacks took place “under the direction of President Biden” and were authorized not only to respond to recent attacks against American and coalition forces, but also to deal with “continuing threats to these people “.
Intelligence Chamber President Adam Schiff said the Biden administration’s notification to Congress of the military attacks in Syria was “inadequate” and that he was investigating further the legal justification behind the military action.
“This makes President Biden the seventh consecutive US president to order strikes in the Middle East,” said California Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna. “There is absolutely no justification for a president to authorize a military attack other than in self-defense against an imminent threat without Congressional authorization.”
Republicans widely praised Biden for attacking Iran-backed militias.
Texas MP Michael McCaul, the top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said the US response was a “necessary deterrent” that reminds Iran and its representatives that attacks on US interests “will not be tolerated”.