US bombs Iran-backed militia in Syria; first airstrikes under Biden’s administration

The United States launched airstrikes in Syria on Thursday, targeting bases near the Iraqi border used by Iranian- backed militia groups. The strikes were retaliation for a rocket attack in Iraq earlier this month that killed one civilian contractor and wounded a US service member and other coalition troops, said the Pentagon. 

The airstrike was the first military action undertaken by the Biden administration. In a statement, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said that the operation sends an unambiguous message that President Biden will act to protect American and Coalition Personnel. 

Biden’s decision to attack Syria did not appear to signal an intention to widen US military involvement in the region but as a will to defend US troops in Iraq.

According to Associated Press, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told reporters,” I’m confident in the target that we went after, we know what we hit.” 

Speaking shortly after the airstrikes, he added, ” We’re confident that the target was being used by the same Shia militants that conducted the strikes,” referring to a Feb. 15 rocket attack in northern Iraq. 

Austin said he recommended the action to Biden.

Austin said that they had said several times on their timeline that they will respond. “We wanted to be sure of the connectivity and we wanted to be sure that we had the right targets,” he added.

Earlier, Kirby supported the action and said that it was a “proportionate military response” taken together with diplomatic measures, including consultation with coalition partners.

Republican Sen. Marco Rubio also called the strikes ” proportional and necessary.”

Officials have recorded the attacks in the past, Iranian-backed Shiite militia groups have been responsible for numerous rocket attacks that targeted US personnel or facilities in Iraq. Biden administration officials condemned the Feb. 15 rocket attack near the city of Irbil in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish-run region.

On Tuesday, Kirby also said that Iraq is in charge of investigating the Feb 15 attack.

“Right now, we are not able to give you a certain attribution as to who was behind these attacks, what groups, and I’m not going to get into the tactical details of every bit of weaponry used here,” he added. More details will be made public once the investigation is complete, Kirby said.

A little-known Shitte militant group calling itself Saraya Awliya al- Dam, Arabic for Guardians of Blood Brigade, admitted their responsibility for the Feb. 15 attack. A week later, a rocket attack in Baghdad’s Green zone appeared to target the US embassy.

Iran denied its link to the Guardians of Blood Brigade this week.

Earlier, the Trump administration blamed Iran-backed groups for carrying out the attacks. Tensions soared after the Washington-directed drone strike that killed top Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani and powerful Iraqi militia leader Abu Mahdi al- Muhandis last year. 

Since 2019, the US has carried out high-profile strikes against the Katain Hezbollah militia group in Iraq and Syria in response to some deadly rocket attacks against US-led forces.