U.S. Launches Retaliatory Airstrikes in Iraq and Syria

The United States has initiated airstrikes in Iraq and Syria in response to a fatal attack on a U.S. military base in Jordan, as reported by U.S. media on Friday.

ABC News quoted a U.S. official stating that retaliatory airstrikes are likely targeting Iran-backed militants responsible for a drone strike on an American base in Jordan on Sunday, resulting in the deaths of three U.S. service members.

The initial strikes, carried out by both manned and unmanned aircraft, are focusing on command-and-control headquarters, ammunition storage, and other facilities, according to The Associated Press.

Attributing the drone attack to an umbrella group called the “Islamic Resistance in Iraq,” the White House confirmed this responsibility on Wednesday. National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby stated in a regular White House briefing that the attack, which also left more than 40 U.S. service members injured, was “planned, resourced, and facilitated” by the Islamic Resistance in Iraq—an umbrella group encompassing “multiple groups, including Kataib Hezbollah.”

Kataib Hezbollah is a militant group operating in Syria and Iraq, accused by the United States of carrying out repeated attacks on U.S. personnel and military facilities in the region, particularly in the aftermath of the Israeli-Hamas conflict.