American personnel in Iraq and Syria have come under a spate of rocket, drone, and missile attacks from Iran-backed groups over the past month, in response to the Biden administration’s unwavering support for Israel in its war on Gaza. The US military has responded with three retaliatory strikes in Syria and two in Iraq.
Biden said that all three retaliatory strikes in Syria and Tuesday’s strike in Iraq were conducted at his direction, describing them as “necessary and proportionate” actions that are consistent with international law.
The US president added that the strikes were taken to protect American personnel in Iraq and Syria and deter the ongoing series of attacks against the US and coalition forces.
“The strikes were taken to deter future attacks and were conducted in a manner designed to limit the risk of escalation and avoid civilian casualties.”
A close-range ballistic missile attack by Iran-backed militias on Ain al-Assad airbase, which houses US troops in Iraq’s Anbar, left eight American personnel injured. The attack triggered two retaliatory strikes from the US military on Tuesday and Wednesday, killing at least nine pro-Iran fighters.
The Iraqi government, parliament, and presidency on Wednesday condemned the recent US military actions in the country, calling them “a violation” of Iraq’s sovereignty, and criticized the US-led global coalition for steering away from its intended mission of supporting Iraqi armed forces in the fight against the Islamic State (ISIS).
The Iraqi authorities’ condemnation came after eight members of the government-linked Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) were killed in a US airstrike in Jurf al-Nasr (formerly Jurf al-Sakhar) in northern Babil province, around 60 kilometers southwest of Baghdad.
