President Biden said on Friday that Thursday night airstrikes against facilities linked to a Iranian-backed militia group in Syria were aimed at warns Iran that “he cannot act with impunity.”
News management: The Pentagon said the strikes, which were authorized by Biden, were carried out “in response to recent attacks on US and Iraqi Coalition personnel” and were intended to “disqualify the general situation in both eastern Syria and Iraq “.
What it says: When asked by a reporter what message he wanted to convey to Iran with the first obvious military action of his administration, Biden said: “You cannot act by force. Careful.”
An Iraqi militia officer He said the strikes killed one fighter and injured several others, the AP reported.
- Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh called the US strikes “illegal aggression” and said it violated human rights and international law, according to Reuters.
The whole picture: Earlier on Friday, some Democrats criticized the Biden administration for the strike and demanded a briefing.
- Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) Said in a statement that Congress will need more information to judge the effectiveness of the strikes and the signal it is sending to Tehran and its proxies, but I believe the President acted well within the authorities of his office. “
- A National Security Council spokesman said the Pentagon had notified Congress in advance and that the administration continued to inform the Hill at the member and staff level.
Go deeper: The US hits Iran-backed military facilities in Syria