Biden Authorizes Airstrike To Hit Iranian Target In Syria In Apparent Reversal Of Trump’s Pullout From Mideast

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin confirmed the United States carried out an airstrike in Syria targeting several Iranian militia facilities near the Iraqi border. While speaking to reporters late Thursday, Austin said he was confident the airstrike hit the correct targets.

In a statement earlier that day, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said multiple structures belonging to the Iranian-backed Quds Force were destroyed.

This marks the first military action from the Biden administration and was in response to suspected Iranian bombings on U.S. targets in Iraq earlier this month. Austin said the delay was due to the administration wanting to weigh its options amid heightened tensions in the region.

“It was my recommendation,” stated U.S. defense secretary. “We said a number of times, we will respond…on our timeline and, once again, we want to be sure that the kind of activity and want to be sure that we had the right targets.”

The strike was reportedly “limited in scope” in line with Biden’s policy of appeasement of Iran and relied heavily on Iraqi Intelligence.

“We allowed and encouraged the Iraqis to investigate and develop intelligence,” Austin explained. “And that was very helpful to us in refining the target.
At this time, it remains unclear what damage was caused or if there were any casualties.