US launches airstrikes on 85 Iran-linked targets in Iraq, Syria in retaliation to attack on troops

The United States carried out airstrikes in Iraq and Syria, targeting over 85 locations associated with Iran's Revolutionary Guard in response to an attack on US troops, Reuters reported.

Earlier, President Joe Biden, along with other top US leaders, had issued warnings, emphasizing that the United States would retaliate against the militias. They explicitly stated that it wouldn't be a singular strike but rather a "tiered response" unfolding over time.

In an official statement after the Friday strikes, Biden said, “The United States does not seek conflict in the Middle East or elsewhere in the world. But let all those who might seek to do us harm know this: If you harm an American, we will respond.”

“This afternoon, at my direction, US military forces struck targets at facilities in Iraq and Syria that the IRGC and affiliated militia use to attack US forces. Our response began today. It will continue at times and places of our choosing," Biden added.

The CENTCOM said facilities that were struck included command and control operations centers, intelligence centers, rockets, and missiles, unmanned aerial vehicle storages, and logistics and munition supply chain facilities of militia groups and their IRGC sponsors who facilitated attacks against US and Coalition forces.

As reported by Reuters, Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson, Nasser Kanaani, expressed in a statement that the attacks in Iraq and Syria represented "another adventurous and strategic mistake by the United States that will result only in increased tension and instability".

Also Read: US: Umbrella group Islamic Resistance in Iraq responsible for strike that killed 3 troops in Jordan

In response to the strikes in Iraq, Iraq summoned the U.S. charge d'affaires in Baghdad to deliver a formal protest. Meanwhile, the Houthi-run Yemeni News Agency (Saba) reported that the US and Britain conducted 14 raids on Saturday in the governorates of Taiz and Hodeidah in Yemen.

(With inputs from Reuters)