On Thursday night, the United States carried out a military airstrike against Iranian-backed militias in eastern Syria near the Iraq border. The strike was in retaliation to a February 15th attack in Erbil in northern Iraq where the militias launched a rocket strike, injuring several Americans and killing a Coalition contractor.
The US airstrike in turn targeted structures used by the Iranian-backed militias in the Syrian town of Abu Kamal. The militias had launched several attacks in the past against American and Coalition facilities in Iraq, which includes the US Embassy in Baghdad. President Biden authorized the strike on Thursday evening, which was successful in destroying multiple militia facilities located at the border on Syria and Iraq.
Government officials reported that they are confident in their decision and that the strike was deliberate, and a proportional response to the previous militia attacks. The targets were destroyed and the strike sends the message that President Biden will act to protect American personnel and facilities in the middle east.
Various elected officials, like Marco Rubio and Lindsey Graham, reacted to the news from Thursday night and commended the Biden Administration for the move.
