US launches retaliatory strikes in Syria, Iraq

At least 18 fighters were killed after the US military launched retaliatory air strikes against Iranian forces and Tehran-backed militia groups in Iraq and Syria on Friday, following a deadly drone attack on an American base in Jordan.

The United States blamed the Sunday drone attack on Iran-backed forces but did not strike the country’s territory in response, 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,” US President Joe Biden said in a statement.

“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.

The strikes targeted the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force as well as “affiliated militia groups,” with American forces hitting “more than 85 targets, with numerous aircraft to include long-range bombers flown from United States,” the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement.

“The airstrikes employed more than 125 precision munitions,” CENTCOM said, adding that the targets included command and control and intelligence centers as well as rocket, missile and drone storage facilities belonging to militia groups and Iranian forces “who facilitated attacks against US and coalition forces.”

The strikes killed at least 18 pro-Iran fighters, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor.

National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told journalists that the strikes lasted about 30 minutes, though they involved a lengthy trip for the B-1 bombers that took part after flying from the United States. 

He said the Defense Department is still assessing damage from the strikes -- which hit dozens of targets at seven separate facilities -- but that the United States believes the raids were successful, and made clear that more would follow.

Syrian Observatory for Human Rights chief Rami Abdel Rahman said that at least 26 major sites housing pro-Iranian groups were destroyed in Syria, including weapons depots.

US and coalition troops have been attacked more than 165 times in Iraq, Syria and Jordan since mid-October with weapons including drones, rockets and short-range ballistic missiles.

(With inputs from NDTV)