U.S. Strikes Over 85 Targets at 7 Sites in Iraq and Syria Against Iran’s Forces and Proxies

The New York Times: The aftermath of U.S. military strikes in Syria and Iraq, targeting Iranian forces and Iran-backed militias, began emerging on Saturday. A Britain-based monitoring group reported at least 18 members of an Iran-backed group were killed in Syria, while the Iraqi government stated 16 people died, including civilians, with 25 more wounded.

The strikes were a retaliation for the killing of three U.S. troops last week, with the Biden administration indicating these actions won’t be the final response. Civilians and soldiers were among the casualties in Syria, with strikes hitting 26 sites there.

The U.S. targeted 85 locations across seven sites in the two countries, aiming at command and control operations, intelligence centers, weapons facilities, and bunkers linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Quds Force and affiliated militia groups.

President Biden, acknowledging the strikes, emphasized they were in response to specific attacks against U.S. troops. Despite the strikes, both the U.S. and Iran have expressed a desire to avoid direct conflict. Iraqi officials condemned the strikes as a violation of sovereignty, warning of potential regional consequences.

The operation, involving over 125 precision-guided munitions and executed by B-1B bombers from Texas, was part of a broader context of heightened tensions following the Israel-Hamas war, with Iran and its militias intensifying attacks on U.S. forces and commercial ships in the region.

The entire article can be read at the link https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/02/03/world/us-strikes-israel-hamas-news