The Pentagon announced on Sunday that President Joe Biden ordered airstrikes against Iranian-back militias along the Iraq-Syria border:
BREAKING: U.S. launches airstrikes against Iranian-backed militias on Iraq-Syria border: Pentagon
— Lucas Tomlinson (@LucasFoxNews) June 27, 2021
According to the statement released by the Pentagon, the military attacked two locations in Syria and one in Iraq:
BREAKING: @POTUS directed the US military to launch airstrikes this evening against facilities used by Iran-backed militia groups in the Iraq-Syria border region – two locations in Syria and one in Iraq
— Lara Seligman (@laraseligman) June 27, 2021
These locations were reportedly used to target U.S. troops and other facilities with unmanned aerial vehicles:
The targets were selected because these facilities are used by Iran-backed militias attacking US personnel and facilities in Iraq with UAVs
— Lara Seligman (@laraseligman) June 27, 2021
From Pentagon spox John Kirby:
In a statement, Pentagon Spokesperson John Kirby announces, "At President Biden's direction, U.S. military forces earlier this evening conducted defensive precision airstrikes against facilities used by Iran-backed militia groups in the Iraq-Syria border region.”
— DJ Judd (@DJJudd) June 27, 2021
Full statement here:
(Attributable to Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby)
“At President Biden’s direction, U.S. military forces earlier this evening conducted defensive precision airstrikes against facilities used by Iran-backed militia groups in the Iraq-Syria border region. The targets were selected because these facilities are utilized by Iran-backed militias that are engaged in unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) attacks against U.S. personnel and facilities in Iraq. Specifically, the U.S. strikes targeted operational and weapons storage facilities at two locations in Syria and one location in Iraq, both of which lie close to the border between those countries. Several Iran-backed militia groups, including Kata’ib Hezbollah (KH) and Kata’ib Sayyid al-Shuhada (KSS), used these facilities.
As demonstrated by this evening’s strikes, President Biden has been clear that he will act to protect U.S. personnel. Given the ongoing series of attacks by Iran-backed groups targeting U.S. interests in Iraq, the President directed further military action to disrupt and deter such attacks. We are in Iraq at the invitation of the Government of Iraq for the sole purpose of assisting the Iraqi Security Forces in their efforts to defeat ISIS. The United States took necessary, appropriate, and deliberate action designed to limit the risk of escalation – but also to send a clear and unambiguous deterrent message.
As a matter of international law, the United States acted pursuant to its right of self-defense. The strikes were both necessary to address the threat and appropriately limited in scope. As a matter of domestic law, the President took this action pursuant to his Article II authority to protect U.S. personnel in Iraq.”
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