What to know about wave of deadly US strikes in Middle East 

In the past 24 hours, U.S. forces have struck more than 100 targets across Iraq, Syria and Yemen, hitting Iranian-backed proxies that have ramped up their own attacks on U.S. forces in the region since October.

The U.S. government late Friday launched a massive airstrike on more than 85 targets across seven locations in Iraq and Syria in response to Sunday’s drone attack that killed three American soldiers in Jordan.

And on Saturday, U.S. forces struck 36 targets in 13 locations in areas controlled by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, as the militants continue to attack commercial ships and U.S. Navy ships in the Red Sea. This is a different measure.

The intense targeting of Iran-backed groups has come under criticism in the United States, with some lawmakers saying the Biden administration’s response has been too slow and others not going far enough.

The move also adds to the already volatile situation in the Middle East, with Iranian proxies claiming they are targeting U.S. forces in response to Israel’s war against the Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza, which began in October. It’s even more confusing.

Here’s what you need to know about the strike.

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U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), the arm of the U.S. military that oversees forces in the Middle East, launched airstrikes on Friday night against Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Quds Force “and affiliated militias” in Iraq and Syria. .

According to Centcom, the U.S. military used a variety of fighter jets, including B-1 long-range bombers flown from the U.S., to carry out more than 85 attacks in seven locations, four in Syria and three in Iraq. They attacked the target and dropped more than 125 precision rounds.

The airstrike reportedly also targeted the headquarters of the Popular Mobilization Forces, a coalition of Iraqi militias including Iranian-backed militias that provide public security in Baghdad, the Iranian Telegram channel said.

The Pentagon later said in a statement that the areas attacked included command and control centers, intelligence facilities, and weapons storage facilities used by Iranian-backed militias to attack U.S. and coalition forces. It was.

The Biden administration said the airstrike was the first in a series of actions by the U.S. government in response to the attack in Jordan, which it blamed on Iraq’s Islamic Resistance Movement, an Iranian government-backed militia. There is. Officials said the action was intended to wipe out capabilities used to target U.S. forces and send a message to prevent further attacks.

“The goal here is to deter these attacks. We don’t want a war with Iran,” White House national security spokesman John Kirby told reporters Friday.

Separately on Saturday, the United States and Britain used ships and aircraft to attack Yemenis, focusing on facilities and equipment used to attack international merchant shipping and U.S. naval vessels in the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandeb Strait. They attacked 36 Houthi targets in 13 locations across the country. Gulf of Aden, according to the Department of Defense.

This is the third attack carried out by the United States in Yemen as part of a coalition that includes the United Kingdom, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands and New Zealand.

Targets included multiple underground storage facilities, command and control, missile systems, unmanned aircraft storage and operations sites, radars and helicopters, according to the Pentagon.

The U.S. military also continues to attack Houthi cruise missiles in Yemen, which were about to be launched into the Red Sea, shooting down six on Saturday alone. Washington officials maintain that the attack was defensive in nature.

Timeline

The airstrike comes less than a week after a suicide drone crashed into Tower 22, a US military base in Jordan near the Syrian border, on January 28, killing three Army reservists and injuring about 40 others. It was conducted.

The next day, President Biden met with members of his national security team, including National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.

Shortly afterward, on January 30, Biden announced that he had decided how to respond to the attack.

More strikes are expected in the coming days, and the city of Austin said Friday that “this is the beginning of our response.”

Since October 7, U.S. forces have been hit by more than 160 attacks using a combination of rockets and unmanned attack drones in Iraq, Syria, and Jordan.

deaths (number

The United States has not released a death toll following attacks in Iraq and Syria, but Baghdad has accused Washington of killing 16 people, including civilians, and wounding 25 others.

Meanwhile, in Syria, Reuters reported that the airstrike killed 23 people guarding the targeted area, according to Rami Abdulrahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

There is also no official US tally of casualties from attacks in Yemen.

Speaking to reporters on Friday, Lt. Gen. Douglas Sims, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the airstrike was carried out knowing that people inside the facility would likely be killed.

response

Biden’s decision to authorize the airstrike has come under sharp criticism from the right, with several Republicans arguing that the president acted too late or did not do enough.

“The tragic deaths of three U.S. soldiers in Jordan at the hands of Iranian-backed militias required a clear and strong response. Unfortunately, the administration waited a week and told the world, including Iran, that we We have telegraphed our response,” House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) said in a statement.

Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Mississippi), ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said the airstrikes were “welcome” but “too little too late” for those who died.

Other Republicans, including former national security adviser John Bolton, called on Biden to directly authorize the attack on Iran to “send a message.”

That line is unlikely, given that any action to attack mainland Iran could spark an all-out war between the United States and Tehran, but Biden has repeatedly said he does not want it.

The Iraq attack also adds to ongoing talks between Baghdad and Washington over the future of the U.S. military presence in Iraq, where about 2,500 troops are stationed to train and assist in the fight against the Islamic State group. is expected to further intensify.

Iraqi officials have complained that clashes between the U.S. and Iranian groups are pushing the country back into a war zone, and a government spokesman said Saturday that the U.S. had violated international law and warned of retaliatory strikes. accused him of lying.

U.S. officials said they informed the Iraqi government before carrying out the airstrikes, but Bassem al-Awadi said the U.S. government “deliberately misrepresented the facts by announcing pre-arrangements to carry out this invasion.” “This is a false claim aimed at misleading international public opinion.” In accordance with all international laws, we disclaim legal responsibility for this denied crime. ”

Meanwhile, in Iran, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi warned in a speech on Friday that Iran would fight back, and groups quickly condemned the US attack.

“We have repeatedly made clear that Iran does not intend to start a war, but will respond firmly and authoritatively to bullying,” Raisi said. according to State news agency Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).

And Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdullahian said on Saturday that the move would worsen the chances of reaching a political solution in the Middle East.

According to IRNA news agency, Amir Abdullahian told the UN special envoy for Yemen during talks in Tehran that the US decision “complicates the situation and makes it more difficult to reach a political solution.” .

He added that the US airstrikes were “a continuation of Washington’s misguided and failed approach to solving problems through force and militarism.”

The United Nations Security Council is also scheduled to meet on Monday to discuss the US attacks on Iraq and Syria, CNN reported.

Filip Timotija contributed reporting.