On Friday, the United States retaliated in response to the assault that resulted in the deaths of three service members on Saturday.
“U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces conducted airstrikes in Iraq and Syria against Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Quds Force and affiliated militia groups,” a news release from U.S. Central Command said.
“U.S. military forces struck more than 85 targets, with numerous aircraft to include long-range bombers flown from [the] United States. The airstrikes employed more than 125 precision munitions,” the release said.
“The facilities that were struck included command and control operations centers, intelligence centers, rockets, missiles, unmanned aerial vehicle storage, and logistics and munition supply chain facilities of militia groups and their IRGC sponsors who facilitated attacks against U.S. and Coalition forces,” the release said.
According to NPR, John Kirby, the National Security spokesman, stated that the assaults marked the commencement of the American reaction.
BREAKING: U.S. begins a wave of airstrikes retaliating for a fatal drone attack, targeting militants in Iraq and Syria, officials say. https://t.co/SbgylVtBpF
— The Associated Press (@AP) February 2, 2024
“It’s very possible you will see a tiered approach here,” Kirby said, “not just a single action, but potentially multiple actions over a period of time.”
The retaliatory strikes were carried out in response to the attack on Tower 22 facility in Jordan, which resulted in the unfortunate loss of three members from the Georgia National Guard. During a briefing at the Pentagon on Thursday, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin emphasized that the objective of these strikes is to diminish the capabilities of different factions in their attempts to target American troops.
“I don’t think the — the adversaries are of a one and done mindset. And so they have a lot of capability, I have a lot more. And — and so, you know, we — we’re — we’re — as I said earlier, we’re going to do what’s necessary to protect our troops and our interests,” he said.
“I think everyone recognizes the — the — the challenge associated with making sure that we hold the right people accountable, that — that we do everything necessary to protect our troops and that we manage things so that it — they — they don’t escalate. I don’t think there’s any — any set formula for doing this,” he said.
Austin called the Saturday attack “egregious, in that — you know, the attack was on the sleeping area of one of — of our base.”