Capitals: Agencies - Europe and the Arabs
US President Joe Biden said that he issued directives to carry out military strikes on facilities in Iraq and Syria belonging to the factions that attacked US forces, and added that the response will continue.
Biden said in a statement, “Our response began today, and will continue at the times and places we determine,” indicating that the strikes come in response to the attack that targeted an American base in northeastern Jordan, which killed 3 American soldiers.
He continued: "The United States does not seek a conflict in the Middle East or anywhere else in the world, but let everyone who might harm us know the following: If you cause harm to Americans, we will respond."
The US Central Command announced on a social media network that “the air strikes were launched using more than 125 precision munitions,” explaining that the targets included command, control and intelligence centers as well as facilities for storing missiles and drones belonging to armed factions and Iranian forces that “facilitated attacks on American and coalition forces.”
This comes after the White House said that the United States informed Iraq before launching air strikes on three sites belonging to factions inside the country, minutes after the Iraqi army denounced the strikes, which it described as a violation of Iraqi sovereignty.
"We had already notified the Iraqi government before launching the strikes," John Kirby, spokesman for the White House National Security Council, told reporters.
Iraq denounced the American strikes inside its territory, warning that this step would drag Iraq and the region into undesirable consequences.
For its part, the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the American aggression against Syria is added to Washington’s record of violations of Syria’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the safety of its people, according to urgent news from the “Cairo News” channel.
The Syrian Ministry of Defense said in a statement today, Saturday, that “the American occupation forces launched a blatant air aggression today at dawn on a number of sites and towns in the eastern region of Syria and near the Syrian-Iraqi borders, which led to the martyrdom of a number of civilians and soldiers, and the injury of a number of civilians and soldiers.” others were injured and caused significant damage to public and private property.”
She added: "A number of civilian and military martyrs were martyred and others were injured as a result of an American aggression that affected a number of towns and sites in the eastern region of the country and near the Syrian-Iraqi border, and also resulted in material damage to people's public and private property."
The statement published on SANA confirmed that “the area targeted by the American attacks in eastern Syria is the same area where the Syrian Arab Army is fighting the remnants of the terrorist organization ISIS, and this confirms that the United States and its military forces are involved and allied with this organization, and are working to revive it as an arm.” On the ground, whether in Syria or Iraq, by all dirty means, this aggression has no justification other than an attempt to weaken the ability of the Syrian Arab Army and its allies in the field of fighting terrorism.”
The statement continued, "The Syrian Arab Army, which was able to defeat various terrorist organizations over the past years, will continue with its steadfastness and principle to defend Syria's land and people and to strike all organizations, no matter how much their sponsors and supporters try to obstruct this goal."
The statement stressed that "the occupation of parts of Syrian territory by American forces cannot continue, and that the General Command of the Army and Armed Forces affirms its continuation of its war against terrorism until its elimination and its determination to liberate the entire Syrian territory from all terrorism and occupation."
According to media sources, at least 18 pro-Iranian fighters were killed in American strikes on Friday in eastern Syria, according to a new toll reported by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, while a previous toll had indicated 13 deaths.
The Observatory reported that “at least 18 pro-Iranian fighters were killed” in air strikes in eastern Syria, five of them in Deir ez-Zor, after the US military said it launched strikes targeting the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and groups linked to Tehran in Syria and Iraq.
The US military command in the Middle East (CENTCOM) confirmed launching air strikes in Iraq and Syria against factions loyal to Tehran and forces of the Quds Force, the unit entrusted with external operations in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.
Centcom's statement said that the forces struck more than 85 targets in Iraq and Syria, including command, control and intelligence centers, as well as facilities for storing missiles and drones.
Washington had vowed to launch retaliatory strikes in response to a drone attack on a base in Jordan near the Syrian border, which resulted in the death of three American soldiers.
American forces and international coalition forces in Iraq and Syria have been subjected to more than 165 attacks since mid-October, many of which were claimed by a group calling itself the “Islamic Resistance in Iraq,” an alliance of Iranian-backed armed factions that opposes American support for Israel in the war in Gaza and the presence of American forces in Region.
Washington responded to previous attacks with a series of strikes in Iraq targeting pro-Iranian groups.