US carries out airstrike against Iranian-backed militia in Syria in Joe Biden’s first military action

The Pentagon said the strike — by unspecified aircraft — “was conducted together with diplomatic measures”.(US Air Force: Jacob Wrightsman/File)

United States President Joe Biden has directed the US military to conduct airstrikes in eastern Syria against facilities belonging to what it says were Iran-backed militia.

The Pentagon confirmed the strike, which was a calibrated response to rocket attacks against US targets in Iraq.

The move appeared to be limited in scope, potentially lowering the risk of escalation.

Also a decision to strike only in Syria and not in Iraq would give the Iraqi government some breathing room as it carries out its own investigation of a February 15 attack that wounded Americans.

The airstrike was the first military action undertaken by the Biden administration, which in its first weeks has emphasised its intent to put more focus on the challenges posed by China.

“At President Biden’s direction, US military forces earlier this evening conducted airstrikes against infrastructure utilised by Iranian-backed militant groups in eastern Syria,” Pentagon chief spokesperson John Kirby said in a statement.

“This proportionate military response was conducted together with diplomatic measures, including consultation with coalition partners.

“At the same time, we have acted in a deliberate manner that aims to deescalate the overall situation in eastern Syria and Iraq.”

Mr Kirby added that the strikes destroyed multiple facilities at a border control point used by a number of Iranian-backed militant groups, including Kataib Hezbollah (KH) and Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada (KSS).

A US official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the decision to carry out these strikes was meant to send a signal that while the US wanted to punish the militias, it did not want the situation to spiral into a bigger conflict.

It was not immediately clear what damage was caused and if there were any casualties from the US strike.

Unclear if strikes will effect nuclear deal renegotiations

Biden administration officials condemned the February 15 rocket attack in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish-run region, but as recently as this week officials indicated they had not determined for certain who carried it out.

The attack hit the US military base housed at Erbil International Airport, killing one non-American contractor and injuring a number of American contractors and a US service member.

Officials have noted that in the past, Iranian-backed Shiite militia groups have been responsible for numerous rocket attacks that targeted US personnel or facilities in Iraq.

Some Western and Iraqi officials say the attacks, often claimed by little-known groups, are being carried out by militants with links to Kataib Hezbollah as a way for Iranian allies to harass US forces without being held accountable.

The rocket attacks on US positions in Iraq were carried out as Washington and Tehran were looking for a way to return to the 2015 nuclear deal abandoned by former US president Donald Trump.

It was not clear how, or whether, the strike might affect US efforts to coax Iran back into a negotiation about both sides resuming compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal.

Since late 2019, the US has carried out high-profile strikes against the Kataib Hezbollah militia group in Iraq and Syria in response to sometimes deadly rocket attacks against US-led forces.

The back-and-forth has stoked tensions under the US Trump administration, culminating in the US killing of Iranian military leader Qassem Soleimani and a retaliatory Iranian ballistic missile attack against US forces in Iraq last year.

Reuters/AP