The U. S. introduced retaliatory strikes in Iraq and Syria on Friday. This followed drone movements in Jordan that killed three U. S. soldiers.
Shortly after the attacks were confirmed, President Joe Biden warned, “If you harm an American, we will respond. “
The White House stressed Friday evening that the United States is not looking for war with Iran.
Jordan participated in the retaliatory measures in part because the attack on U. S. forces took place on Jordanian territory, in violation of foreign law, the official said.
Additionally, there is a long history of Iranian-backed proxy teams attacking Jordanian border spaces as part of a complex drug trafficking effort intended to finance the activities of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in Syria.
Iranian-backed militias traffic Captagon, a highly addictive amphetamine, as well as weapons to fund their operations. Smuggling efforts have destabilized societies in the Middle East, primarily in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Arab States, by introducing addictive drugs into the population. .
Fox News’ Jennifer Griffin contributed to this update.
The United States military continued strikes against Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen on Friday while conducting retaliatory airstrikes in Iraq and Syria, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced Saturday.
Around 10:30 a. m. on Friday, the USS Carney attacked and shot down an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) over the Gulf of Arden, CENTCOM said. No injuries or injuries were reported.
“U. S. forces were aware of drones in Houthi-controlled spaces in Yemen and decided they pose an imminent risk to merchant ships and U. S. Navy vessels in the region. U. S. forces then attacked and destroyed the drones in self-defense. “CENTCOM said in a statement.
Then at 9:20 p. m. m. , USS Laboon and F/A-18s of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group attacked and shot down seven drones over the Red Sea.
“These moves will protect freedom of navigation and make foreign waters safer for U. S. Navy ships and merchant ships. “”We are not going to be able to do anything about the U. S. ,” CENTCOM said.
Sen. Jack Reed, D-Rhode Island, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, praised the U. S. retaliatory measures in Iraq and Syria as a “strong and proportionate response. “
President Biden ordered these measures in reaction to a drone strike in northeastern Jordan that killed three U. S. service members and injured dozens more.
“I salute the brave corps of U. S. military workers who carried out today’s actions and President Biden’s physically powerful action. These actions, combined with smart diplomacy, send a clear signal that the United States will continue to take appropriate steps to protect our other peoples and interests,” he continued.
“I’m confident that the Biden leadership will continue to respond and the American people. »
An Iraqi defense forces official gave the impression of abandoning his threats to launch more strikes against U. S. forces in the Middle East after retaliatory airstrikes in Iraq and Syria.
Mossawi said the sites attacked in Iraq were generally “devoid of fighters and army workers at the time of the attack. “Suggesting that there wasn’t too much pain may allow you to justify the lack of a forceful response.
Just a day earlier, Harakat al-Nujaba leader Akram al-Kaabi said the defense forces would continue their military operations opposed to U. S. forces until Israel ended the war in Gaza and the U. S. ended the “occupation of Iraq. “
The death of 3 U. S. service members last Sunday at a U. S. base in Jordan is shocking.
Fox News’ Jennifer Griffin, Fox News Digital’s Brie Stimson and Sarah Rumpf-Whitten and the Associated Press contributed to this update.
According to Iraqi and Syrian officials, retaliatory U. S. airstrikes in Iraq and Syria have killed more than 30 people.
U. S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement that forces carried out airstrikes at more than 85 targets in Iraq and Syria opposed to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ (IRGC) Quds Force and affiliated militias. The moves were carried out via B-1 long-range bombers and are President Biden’s first reaction to the attack by Iranian-backed militias that killed 3 U. S. infantrymen in Jordan last weekend.
“We do not seek conflict in the Middle East or anywhere else, but the president and I will not tolerate attacks on American forces,” Austin said.
Reuters contributed to this update.
The Iraqi government said retaliatory US airstrikes against Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force and its affiliated forces killed 16 civilians.
“The United States deliberately misled and distorted the facts, claiming its coordination with the Iraqi government, a baseless claim intended to mislead foreign public opinion and evade any legal duty for this crime condemned in accordance with foreign laws and principles,” the Iraqi said. . the government spokesman said. Basim Alawadi. .
“This competitive airstrike will brink security in Iraq and the region, undermining efforts to achieve stability,” Alawadi said.
“We affirm that the presence of the foreign coalition, which has deviated from the responsibilities and mandate assigned to it, has an explanation for endangering security and stability in Iraq. It also serves as a justification for involving Iraq in regional and foreign conflicts. “
Iran’s foreign ministry condemned overnight the U.S. retaliatory airstrikes in Iraq and Syria as a “violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity” of the two countries.
“In addition to the full acceptance of the United States for the relentless and barbaric attacks of the Zionist regime against the citizens of Gaza and the West Bank for 4 months, as well as for the army’s attacks on Yemen and the violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country, the latest “The previous night’s attacks on Syria and Iraq constitute another adventurous action and some other strategic mistake on the part of the American government that it will have been unable to do anything about it other than intensify tensions and instability in the region,” Kanaani said.
“The attacks are only the goals of the Zionist regime. Such attacks increasingly implicate the U. S. government in the region and overshadow the crimes of the Zionist regime in Gaza,” he concluded.
The US airstrikes came in reaction to the deaths of three US service members on Sunday at a US base in Jordan.
Reuters contributed to this update.
Syria’s Defense Ministry on Saturday condemned U. S. retaliatory airstrikes in Iraq and Syria, calling them “blatant aerial aggression. “
In a statement, the Syrian army said several civilians and infantrymen were killed in the moves and others were wounded. According to the Syrian government, public and personal property were also damaged.
U. S. airstrikes hit more than seven targets at seven sites, four in Syria and three in Iraq, according to the U. S. military.
It moves the Quds Force, the IRGC’s foreign and paramilitary espionage arm that heavily influences its allied militias across the Middle East, from Lebanon to Iraq and from Yemen to Syria.
U. S. Lt. Gen. Douglas Sims, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the strikes appeared to have been successful, triggering gigantic secondary explosions when the bombs hit the militants’ weapons, though it was unclear if any militants had been killed. .
Reuters contributed to this update.
Sergio Flores/BloombergGetty Images
Libertarian Party presidential candidate Chase Oliver said that “the war system is beginning” and that the U. S. is “on the road to war” if it makes a “serious change of direction. “
“Like clockwork, the device of war begins,” Oliver wrote on X, the former platform known as Twitter. “It will start with airstrikes, and make no mistake, without a serious change of direction, we are on the road to war. “”.
“My generation is still recovering from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan,” he continued. “I condemn any action that could bring this pain and trauma to a generation of Americans. No more war!”
Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. Getty Images
Former Michigan Rep. Justin Amash, a libertarian, said the most productive way for the U. S. to attract its troops is not to endanger them by attacking them “illegally” in overseas war zones.
“The best way to protect U.S. personnel is to stop placing them unlawfully in war zones,” Amash wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. “American troops swear an oath to support the Constitution, but they’re constantly stationed overseas in hostile regions without adequate support from their own government. Bring them home!”
In the article, Amash said that President Biden “has clearly not learned a single lesson from the follies and mistakes of all recent U. S. presidents. “
Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic
Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the military escalation “would have been necessary” if the U. S. had placed its troops in the “crosshairs” of Shiite militias that he said exist only “as a legacy of our illegal war in Iraq. “”
“In the same way that the U.S. would not tolerate Russian forces in Cuba and Russia would not tolerate NATO forces in Ukraine, Iran does not tolerate U.S. forces on its border,” he continued.
Kennedy said the U. S. will have to “withdraw unwanted ground troops from the Middle East and maintain only long-standing bases accepted through their national hosts,” adding that the U. S. “will have to focus on supporting our Sunni allies in the region. “, pledging to enforce sea lanes (an extension of Fortress America) and fostering diplomatic summits where grievances can be aired, real agreements can be built, and piecemeal responses can be negotiated through nations that have the right and explanation for why to be in the way. floor.
“We are risking our young people’s lives and spending money we do not have,” Kennedy said. “These tiny outposts have no ability to stop Iran attacking our allies or getting the bomb. All they do is open the U.S. up to mandatory escalations each time an American hero gets killed.”
“But that’s the problem,” he concluded.
In the footage, the airstrike missile is seen hurtling into the night sky and huge plumes of smoke rising from the area.
In a statement, U. S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said forces carried out airstrikes against more than targets in Iraq and Syria opposed to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ (IRGC) Quds Force and affiliated militias.
All of Friday’s airstrikes were carried out by U. S. Navy fighter jets and ships, according to a senior defense official.
CENTCOM said the attack took place on the afternoon of Feb. 2 EST.
President Biden put out a statement shortly after the strikes were confirmed Friday, warning, “If you harm an American, we will respond.”
“The measure of their effectiveness will be whether they deter additional Iranian aggression,” Pompeo told Fox News Digital.
Pompeo said that in order to succeed, due to the delay in the Biden administration’s response, the White House will want to show a willingness to “impose genuine costs” on Iran.
“To this, after such a belated reaction to the killing of three Americans, it will take a point of seriousness and willingness to impose real prices on Iran that we have not noticed so far,” he added. “This failure has led to an escalation that will only prevent when the Biden administration – along with our allies – restores deterrence. “
Fox News’ Peter Aitken contributed to this report.
U. S. President Joe Biden, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) applaud Andrea Bocelli after performing “Amazing Grace” at the annual National Prayer Breakfast at the U. S. Statuary Hall on Capitol Day on Feb. 1, 2024. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Johnson, the “tragic death” of the three U. S. soldiers, killed in an Iranian-backed drone strike, “demanded” a “clear and forceful response” from the Biden administration.
“The tragic deaths of three U. S. infantrymen in Jordan, perpetrated through Iranian-backed militias, demanded a transparent and forceful response,” Johnson said last Friday. “Unfortunately, the leadership waited a week and telegraphed to the world, adding that Iran, the nature of our response. “
Johnson, the Biden administration’s “excessive signals” are weakening the U. S. position.
“Public outcry and exaggerated signals are undermining our ability to decisively end the spate of attacks in recent months,” he said.
The Republican house speaker noted that since Hamas’ unprecedented attack on Israel on Oct. 7, U.S. troops have suffered more than 150 attacks in the Middle East.
Johnson said “it’s about time” for Biden’s leadership to “admit” that its foreign policy in the Middle East has been “disastrous. “
Johnson said that it is time for Biden to “wake up” and to admit that his policy of “placating Iran” has failed.
“Now is the time for President Biden to wake up to the truth that his policy to appease Iran has failed,” he said. “To promote peace, the United States will have to use its strength. “
Various militia groups have launched more than 130 attacks on U.S. forces stationed in Iraq and Syria since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. (Fox News)
U. S. troops in Iraq and Syria have been hit by more than 160 rocket and drone strikes since mid-October.
Biden’s leadership has made clear that the U. S. will take military action after a drone strike by Iranian-backed militants killed three more people and wounded more than 30 at a U. S. base.
Three Americans were killed Sunday at a U. S. Army base in Jordan.
Pentagon press secretary John Kirby holds a press conference at the Pentagon. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters Friday that the measures were aimed at “sending a signal” to those who “seek to harm Americans. “
“We are not in favor of a clash with Iran,” Kirby said. “These targets were chosen to degrade and disrupt the functions of the IRGC and the teams they sponsor and support. “
“The signal is the attacks have to stop,” he continued. “These facilities were being used by IRGC and their proxy groups to conduct attacks on U.S. personnel in the region.”
“These responses started tonight, they’re not going to stop it tonight,” Kirby said. “There will be more responses, more moves that we will take, all aimed at preventing those attacks. “
Read more about the White House on the strikes.
Fox News’ Brooke Singman contributed to this report.
The U. S. used B1 bombers in some of the airstrikes. (DVID)
White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the airstrikes on Syria had been “carefully selected” with civilian casualties in mind.
“The targets were consciously decided with civilian casualties in mind and were based on transparent and irrefutable evidence,” Kirby told reporters Friday night. “They were related to attacks on the corps of U. S. workers in the area. “
Kirby is under pressure that the U. S. not seek a confrontation with Iran or in the Middle East.
He noted that although the airstrikes began tonight, they will not end tonight.
Fox News’ Brooke Singman contributed to this report.
The Republican House said President Biden’s lawful airstrikes on Syria came “too late and five days late. “
“The Iranians failed to warn our troops before they killed them,” Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind. , said in a statement. “These measures are mostly nothing, but they are very few in number and have been delayed for days. “
“I would be interested to know what effect the Biden administration has had on our ability to impose genuine prices on Iran by the Biden administration over the last five days,” Waltz said.
Rep. Carlose Gimenez, R-FL, said that Biden’s weakness “emboldened the enemies of freedom” to target the U.S. and it’s service members.
“Biden’s failure to isolate the Iranian regime, annihilate Hamas, and our strategic partners in the Middle East has emboldened the enemies of freedom to attack, attack, and assassinate U. S. troops,” Gimenez said in a statement.
U. S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin witnesses the dignity of fallen serviceman Sergeant of the United States Army. William Rivers, Sergeant. Breonna Moffett and Sergeant. Kennedy Sanders at Dover Air Force Base on Feb. 2, 2024, in Dover, Delaware. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement that the U. S. “will not tolerate” attacks on U. S. forces.
“Following the attack on U. S. and coalition forces in northeastern Jordan last Sunday, in which 3 U. S. service members were killed, under President Biden’s leadership, U. S. military forces today conducted moves at seven facilities, including more than 85 targets in Iraq and Syria. “The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and affiliated militias use it to attack U. S. forces,” Austin said last Friday. “This is the beginning of our response. “
“The President has directed additional actions to hold the IRGC and affiliated militias accountable for their attacks on U.S. and Coalition Forces,” Austin said. “These will unfold at times and places of our choosing.”
Austin concluded his statement reiterating Biden’s statement that the U.S. does not “seek conflict” in the Middle East, but that the Biden administration “will not tolerate” attacks on American forces.
President Biden on Friday participated in the dignified transfer of the remains of 3 killed in an attack through an Iranian-backed defense force in Jordan last weekend (Getty Images).
On Friday, President Biden referred to the airstrikes in the Middle East in a statement, adding that the U. S. reaction “will continue. “
“This afternoon, at my direction, U.S. military forces struck targets at facilities in Iraq and Syria that the IRGC and affiliated militia use to attack U.S. forces,” Biden said.
Biden said that while the U. S. “seeks conflict” in the Middle East, it will respond if it “harms an American. “
“The United States does not seek conflict in the Middle East or anywhere else in the world,” Biden said. “But let all those who might seek to do us harm know this: If you harm an American, we will respond.”
The firm said the forces carried out the movements with aircraft, adding two B-1B bombers. (Credit: DVID)
Central Command issued a statement Friday after 85 retaliatory U. S. airstrikes against Iranian targets in Iraq and Syria.
Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
Sen. Lindsey Graham said he is unimpressed with the retaliatory airstrikes the U.S. has launched in the last hour, Fox News’ Chad Pergram reported.
“The lapse of time has lessened the impact of deterrence,” Graham told Fox News on Friday. “And by not hitting oil infrastructure in Iran or Revolutionary Guard personnel, you will have failed to make the point.”
A number of lawmakers have also expressed fear about the authority of “war powers” when it comes to executive action, whether it’s today’s action or the normal exchanges the U. S. has had for weeks with the Houthis.
Congress has the power, under Article I, Section 6, to “declare war. ” Bipartisan lawmakers have indicated that the president will have to appear before Congress to request broader authorization.
The U. S. has introduced airstrikes against targets in the Middle East from platforms, a U. S. defense official told Fox News.
Coverage of this is over.