US hits Iran-linked targets in Iraq and Syria in retaliation for deadly drone attack in Jordan
- The US military says strikes hit over 85 targets, including command and control centres, with Syria saying the US is fuelling the conflict in a ‘very dangerous way’
- Iraq warns of potential ‘disastrous’ consequences, with the fatal strikes coming shortly after a US airbase military ritual for three soldiers killed in a drone attack in Jordan
Dozens of people, including Iranian-backed militia fighters, were killed in US overnight airstrikes in Iraq and neighbouring Syria, a war monitor and government sources said on Saturday.
Washington launched retaliatory air strikes against Iranian forces and Tehran-backed militia groups on Friday, following a deadly drone attack on an American base in Jordan on January 28 that killed three soldiers.
The United States blamed the Sunday drone attack on Iran-backed forces, but did not strike the country’s territory, with Washington seeking to deter future attacks while stopping short of all-out war with Tehran – something both sides have sought to avoid.
“Our response began today. It will continue at times and places of our choosing,” President Joe Biden said in a statement on Friday.
“The United States does not seek conflict in the Middle East or anywhere else in the world. But let all those who might seek to do us harm know this: If you harm an American, we will respond,” he added.
On Saturday Syria’s foreign ministry condemned the US attack, saying Washington was fuelling conflict in the region in a “very dangerous way”.