US airstrikes target Iran-backed militias in Syria, Iraq

WASHINGTON: The

US military

, under the direction of President Joe Biden, conducted airstrikes Sunday against what it said were “facilities used by Iran-backed militia groups” near the border between Iraq and

Syria

.

Pentagon Press Secretary

John Kirby

said the militias were using the facilities to launch unmanned aerial vehicle attacks against US troops in Iraq.

Kirby said the US military targeted three operational and weapons storage facilities — two in Syria and one in Iraq.

He described the airstrikes as “defensive,” saying they were launched in response to an “ongoing series of attacks by Iran-backed groups targeting US interests in Iraq.”

“The

United States

took necessary, appropriate, and deliberate action designed to limit the risk of escalation — but also to send a clear and unambiguous deterrent message,” Kirby said.