US fighter jets struck Iranian-backed militias in eastern Syria on Wednesday, The Washington Times reports.
The Pentagon says it is the second strike against Iran-linked groups in the past fortnight as fears of escalating conflict in the Middle East intensify.
Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said the strikes were ordered by Joe Biden. The US President gave commands US F-15 aircraft to carry out a “self-defence strike” on a weapons depot in Syria used by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and affiliated groups. Pentagon officials say these militants are responsible for a number of recent attacks on US troops in Iraq and Syria.
In the month since the war between Israel and Hamas began, the number of attacks on US troops in the region has skyrocketed. Iran and its allies have welcomed the attack, and President Biden has sent warships, troops and other assets to the region to warn Iran and its anti-Israel allies not to try to take advantage of the situation. Mr. Austin said:
This precision self-defense strike is a response to a series of attacks against US personnel in Iraq and Syria by IRGC-Quds Force affiliates. The president has no higher priority than the safety of US personnel, and he directed today’s action to make clear that the United States will defend itself, its personnel, and its interests. The United States is fully prepared to take further necessary measures to protect our people and our facilities. We urge against any escalation. US personnel will continue to conduct counter-ISIS missions in Iraq and Syria.
The strikes on Iran-linked targets in Syria came on the same day that Iran-backed Houthi forces shot down a US Air Force MQ-9 Reaper drone operating in international airspace off the coast of Yemen, a defence official confirmed. The Houthi rebels have allied themselves with Hamas in its war against Israel, launching missile strikes and using drones that have so far been prevented.
