WASHINGTON, Feb 26 (Sputnik): US retaliatory airstrikes targeting infrastructure used by Iranian-backed militias in eastern Syria ended up destroying multiple facilities, Defense Department Press Secretary John Kirby said in a statement.
“At President [Joe] Biden’s direction, US military forces earlier this evening conducted airstrikes against infrastructure utilized by Iranian-backed militant groups in eastern Syria,” Kirby said on Thursday evening. “These strikes were authorized in response to recent attacks against American and Coalition personnel in Iraq, and to ongoing threats to those personnel. Specifically, the strikes destroyed multiple facilities located at a border control point used by a number of Iranian-backed militant groups, including Kait’ib Hezbollah (KH) and Kait’ib Sayyid al-Shuhada (KSS).”
Earlier, CBS News and other media reported the airstrike, with some raising questions as to why the retaliation took place in Syria and not Iraq.
The United States consulted with its Coalition partners before launching the attack, Kirby said.
He also said the airstrikes send a message that Biden will take action to protect US and Coalition personnel. Kirby added that the airstrike was done in a deliberate manner that aims to de-escalate the overall situation in eastern Syria and Iraq.
On February 15, a dozen rockets hit the Erbil Air Base in Iraqi Kurdistan, killing a civilian contractor and hurting nine other people. A Shiite militant group reportedly claimed responsible. (UNI)