The United States launched airstrikes in Iraq and Syria on more than 85 targets linked to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and militias it supports, killing more than 30 people, in retaliation for a deadly attack on American soldiers.
The strikes, which included the use of long-range B-1 bombers flown from the United States, are the first in a multi-pronged response by President Joe Biden’s administration to last weekend’s attack by Iran-backed fighters.
More US military operations are expected in the coming days.
The strikes intensified the conflict that has spread across the region since war broke out between Israel and Hamas following the Palestinian group’s deadly attack on Israel on October 7.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani said in a statement that the US attacks represent “another adventurous and strategic mistake by the United States that will only result in increasing tension and instability in the region.”
Iraq also condemned the US strikes, saying 16 people, including civilians, had been killed. In Syria, 23 people guarding the targeted locations were killed in the attacks, said Rami Abdulrahman, director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an organization that reports on the war in Syria.
US Lt. Gen. Douglas Sims, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the strikes appeared to be successful, causing large secondary explosions as the bombs hit the militants’ weapons. Said that the attacks were undertaken knowing that there would likely be casualties among those in the facilities.
Despite the strikes, the Pentagon has said it does not want war with Iran and does not believe Tehran wants war either, even as Republican pressure on Biden to strike directly has intensified.
Iran, which backs Hamas, has sought to stay out of the regional conflict itself even as it backs groups that have entered the conflict from Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq and Syria – the so-called “axis of resistance” hostile to Israelis and American interests.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said after the attack that Biden had ordered additional actions against the IRGC and those associated with it.
“This is the beginning of our response. We are not seeking conflict in the Middle East or anywhere else, but the president and I will not tolerate attacks on American forces,” Austin said.
An Iraqi government statement said the areas bombed by US aircraft included places where Iraqi security forces were stationed near civilian locations. He also claims that in addition to the 16 killed, 23 people were wounded.
The White House said the United States had notified Iraq before the attack. Baghdad later accused the United States of deception, saying the US claim of coordination with Iraqi authorities was “baseless”.
The Syrian Foreign Ministry said the United States was fueling the conflict in the region in a “very dangerous way.”
On Friday, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said his country would not start a war, but would “respond strongly” to anyone who mistreats it.
Hamas condemned the US strikes and said Washington was adding “fuel to the fire”.
Britain called the United States its “steadfast” ally and said it supported Washington’s right to respond to attacks.
The strikes hit targets including command and control centers, missile, missile and drone depots, as well as logistics and ammunition supply chain facilities, the US military said in a statement.
Local residents in Iraq said several of the strikes hit the Sikak neighborhood in Al-Qaim, a residential area that local residents said was also used by armed groups to store large quantities of weapons. Fighters left the area and went into hiding in the days after the attack in Jordan, local sources said.
US troops have been attacked more than 160 times in Iraq, Syria and Jordan since October 7, usually with a combination of missiles and one-way drones, prompting the United States to launch several retaliatory strikes even before the latest strikes.
The United States has assessed that the drone that killed three soldiers and wounded more than 40 people in Jordan was made by Iran, US officials told Reuters.
“Our response began today. It will continue at times and places of our choosing,” Biden said.
Iranian advisers are helping armed groups in Iraq, where the United States has about 2,500 troops, and Syria, where there are 900.
