US launches airstrikes in Iraq and Syria in response to deadly drone attack in Jordan

WASHINGTON - JANUARY 23: Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., speaks during the Senate Democrats' news conference in the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, January 23, 2024. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, praised the U.S. retaliatory strikes in Iraq and Syria as a "strong, proportional response." 

President Biden ordered the strikes in response to a drone attack in northeast Jordan that killed three U.S. service members and wounded dozens more.

“This was a strong, proportional response. In fact, the 85 targets struck tonight mark a greater number than the prior administration. Iran’s proxy forces in Syria and Iraq have been dealt a significant blow, and Iranian-linked militias around the Middle East should understand that they, too, will be held accountable," Reed said in a statement. 

“I salute the brave U.S. military members who carried out today’s strikes, and I support President Biden’s robust action. These strikes, in concert with wise diplomacy, send a clear signal that the United States will continue to take appropriate action to protect our personnel and our interests," he continued. 

“I am confident the Biden Administration will continue to respond and safeguard the American people.”

An Iraqi militia official appeared to back off threats to launch more attacks on United States forces in the Middle East after the retaliatory airstrikes in Iraq and Syria.

Hussein al-Mosawi, spokesperson for Harakat al-Nujaba, one of the main Iranian-backed militias in Iraq, in an interview with the Associated Press in Baghdad condemned the U.S. strikes, saying Washington “must understand that every action elicits a reaction.” But he then struck a more conciliatory tone, saying that “we do not wish to escalate or widen regional tensions.”

Mossawi said the targeted sites in Iraq were mainly “devoid of fighters and military personnel at the time of the attack.” Suggesting there was not too much damage could allow him to justify the lack of a strong response.

Just a day earlier, Harakat al-Nujaba leader Akram al-Kaabi said the militia group would continue military operations against U.S. forces until Israel ends the war in Gaza and America ends the "occupation of Iraq." 

The seeming reversal comes after the U.S. began retaliatory strikes on more than 85 targets in Iraq and Syria against Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Quds Force and affiliated militia groups.

The strikes came in response to the deaths of three U.S. service members last Sunday on a U.S. base in Jordan.  

Fox News' Jennifer Griffin, Fox News Digital's Brie Stimson and Sarah Rumpf-Whitten and the Associated Press contributed to this update.

The US retaliatory airstrikes launched in Iraq and Syria have reportedly killed more than 30 people, according to Iraqi and Syrian officials.

Iraq said the airstrikes killed 16 people including civilians. In Syria, the strikes killed 23 people who had been guarding the targeted locations, said Rami Abdulrahman, director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an organisation that reports on war in Syria.

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement that forces conducted airstrikes on more than 85 targets in Iraq and Syria against Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Quds Force and affiliated militia groups. The strikes were carried out by long-range B-1 bombers and were President Biden's first response to the attack by Iran-backed militia groups that killed three American soldiers in Jordan last weekend.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said after the strikes that Biden had directed additional action against the IRGC and those linked to it. "This is the start of our response," Austin said.

"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.

Iraq's government said the U.S. retaliatory airstrikes on Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Quds Force and affiliated forces killed 16 people, including civilians. 

In a statement on Saturday, the Iraqi government condemned the strikes and accused the U.S. of falsely stating that they were coordinated with Iraqi authorities.

"The American side intentionally engaged in deception and distortion of facts, stating coordination with Iraqi authorities — an unfounded claim crafted to mislead international public opinion and evade legal responsibility for this condemned crime according to international law and principles," Iraqi government spokesman Basim Alawadi said.

"This aggressive airstrike will push the security situation in Iraq and the region to the brink of the abyss, jeopardizing the efforts of establishing stability,' Alawadi continued.

"We assert that the presence of the international coalition, which deviated from its assigned tasks and mandate, has become a reason for endangering security and stability in Iraq. It also serves as a justification for entangling Iraq in regional and international 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 a statement, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Nasser Kanaani said the attacks were also "a clear violation of the United Nations Charter." 

“In addition to an all-out support of the US for four months of relentless and barbaric attacks by the Zionist regime against the residents of Gaza and the West Bank, and military attacks on Yemen and violating the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country, last night’s attacks on Syria and Iraq were another adventurous action and another strategic error by the US government which will have no result but to intensify tensions and instability in the region," Kanaani said.

“The attacks merely support the goals of the Zionist regime. Such attacks increasingly involve the US government in the region and overshadow the crimes of the Zionist regime in Gaza," he concluded. 

The U.S. airstrikes came in response to the deaths of three U.S. service members last Sunday on a U.S. base in Jordan.

The American soldiers were killed in a drone strike launched by militant groups supported by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), according to U.S. officials. 

Reuters contributed to this update.

The Syrian Defense Ministry on Saturday condemned the U.S. retaliatory airstrikes in Iraq and Syria, referring to them as "blatant air aggression.

In a statement, the Syrian army said a number of civilians and soldiers were killed in the strikes and others were wounded. There was also significant damage to public and private property, according to the Syrian government. 

"Occupying parts of Syrian lands by American forces cannot continue ... the Syrian army affirms continuing its war against terrorism until it is eliminated and is determined to liberate the entire Syrian territories from terrorism and occupation," the ministry said in a statement.

The U.S. airstrikes hit more than 85 targets across seven locations, four in Syria and three in Iraq, according to the U.S. military.

The strikes targeted the Quds Force — the foreign espionage and paramilitary arm of the IRGC that heavily influences its allied militia across the Middle East, from Lebanon to Iraq and Yemen to Syria.

U.S. Lieutenant General Douglas Sims, the director of the Joint Staff, said the attacks appeared to be successful, triggering large secondary explosions as the bombs hit militant weaponry, though it was not clear if any militants were killed.

Reuters contributed to this update.

Sergio Flores/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Libertarian Party presidential candidate Chase Oliver said the "war machine is starting" and that the U.S. is "on a path to war" if it does not make a "serious change of direction."

"Like clockwork the war machine is starting," Oliver wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. "It will begin with airstrikes, and make no mistake, without a serious change of direction, we are on a path to war."

"My generation is still recovering from the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan," he continued. "I condemn any measures that will bring that pain and trauma onto another generation of Americans. No more war!"

This comes after the U.S. began strikes on militias in Iraq and Syria on Friday in retaliation for a drone attack that killed three U.S. service members.

Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

Former Michigan Rep. Justin Amash, a Libertarian, said the best way for the U.S. to protect its troops is to not put them in harm's way by "unlawfully" placing them in war zones overseas.

"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!"

This comes after the U.S. began strikes on militias in Iraq and Syria on Friday in retaliation for a drone attack that killed three U.S. service members.

In another post, Amash said President Biden "clearly hasn't learned a single lesson from the follies and missteps of all recent U.S. presidents."

"Congress is the body empowered under our Constitution to authorize the commencement of acts of war," Amash wrote. "The separation of powers isn’t some frivolous obstacle to be sidestepped for expediency. The point is to ensure that the American people are represented in matters of war and have the opportunity to contemplate the proposed mission and other strategic options, including alternatives to our permanent presence overseas that leaves so many of our troops in harm’s way."

Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said military escalation "would not have been necessary" if the U.S. had not put troops in the "crosshairs" of Shi'a militias that he says only exist "as a legacy of our illegal war in Iraq."

"Both Iraq and Syria have asked the U.S. to leave their territory," Kennedy wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. "The Iraqi Parliament voted unanimously for U.S. troops to leave in 2020, and were only allowed to stay because Trump threatened sanctions and to confiscate Iraq's own oil and tax revenue held at the NY Fed. Biden has maintained this policy of occupation by economic blackmail."

"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.

This comes after the U.S. began strikes on militias in Iraq and Syria in retaliation for a drone attack that killed three U.S. service members.

Kennedy said the U.S. must "get unwelcome ground troops out of the Mideast, and maintain only long-standing bases welcomed by their national hosts," adding that the U.S. "must focus instead on bolstering our Sunni allies in the region, committing to enforcement of shipping lanes (an extension of Fortress America), and fostering diplomatic summits where grievances can be aired, trust can be built, and piecemeal solutions can be negotiated by those nations who have a right and reason to be on the ground out there."

"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 perhaps that is the point," he concluded.

Video footage showed an U.S. airstrike launch in western Iraq Friday evening.

In the  footage, the airstrike's missile is seen launching into the night sky and huge plumes of smoke rising from the area.

In a statement, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said that forces conducted airstrikes on more than 85 targets in Iraq and Syria against Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Quds Force and affiliated militia groups.

The 85 targets included command and control operations, intelligence centers, militia group's rockets, missiles, unmanned vehicle storages and supply chain facilities, CENTCOM said.

All of Friday's airstrikes were conducted by U.S. warplanes, not Navy vessels, according to a senior defense official.

CENTCOM said that the attack came at 4 p.m. EST on Feb. 2.

President Biden put out a statement shortly after the strikes were confirmed Friday, warning, "If you harm an American, we will respond."

Mike Pompeo, the secretary of state during the Trump administration, said that the U.S. retaliatory strikes against Iranian targets in Syria and Iraq will only succeed if they convince Iran to stop pushing its proxies to attack American personnel "anywhere in the world."

"The single measure of their effectiveness will be whether they deter further Iranian aggression," Pompeo told Fox News Digital.

"Not just aggression in Jordan or Iraq, but Iranian attacks on U.S. interests anywhere in the world, support for Hamas and Hezbollah against our ally Israel and Iranian attacks on military and commercial vessels in the Red Sea included," he explained. 

Pompeo said that to succeed, due to the Biden administration's delayed response, the White House will need to display a willingness to "impose real costs" on Iran.

"To achieve this, after such a delayed response following the killing of three Americans, will take a level of seriousness and willingness to impose real costs on Iran we have not seen to date," he added. "This failure has caused escalation that will not stop until the Biden administration — along with our allies — restores deterrence."

Read more on Mike Pompeo's assessment here.

Fox News' Peter Aitken contributed to this report.

U.S. President Joe Biden, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) applaud for Andrea Bocelli after he performed "Amazing Grace" during the annual National Prayer Breakfast in Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capitol on February 01, 2024. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., blasted President Biden's "long overdue" response following retaliatory strikes carried out in Syria and Iraq on Friday evening.

Johnson said that the "tragic deaths" of the three American soldiers, who were killed in an Iran-backed drone attack, "demanded" a "clear and forceful response" from the Biden administration.

"The tragic deaths of three U.S. troops in Jordan, perpetrated by Iran-backed militias, demanded a clear and forceful response," Johnson said in a statement on Friday evening. "Unfortunately, the administration waited for a week and telegraphed to the world, including to Iran, the nature of our response."

Johnson said that the Biden administration's "excessive signaling" weakens America's standing.

"The public handwringing and excessive signaling undercuts our ability to put a decisive end to the barrage of attacks endured over the past few 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 argued that it is "long overdue" for the Biden administration to "admit" that its Middle East foreign policy has been "disastrous."

“We have suffered more than 150 attacks on U.S. forces, lost American lives, and spent billions of dollars in the region since October," Johnson said. "It is long overdue for the Biden administration to admit that its strategy of appeasing Iran has been disastrous for the international community and regional stability. We must stand firmly against those who would harm Americans, propagate terror, or threaten our allies."

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 reality that his policy of placating Iran has failed," he said. “To promote peace, America must project 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)

In the wake of the Israel-Hamas war, which began on Oct. 7, tension in the Middle East against U.S. forces has exponentially increased.

U.S bases hosting U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria have been struck by more than 160 rockets and drone attacks since mid-October.

The Biden administration made it clear that the U.S. would take military action after a drone attack, by Iran-backed militants, killed three and injured more than 30 others at a U.S. base.

Three U.S. soldiers were killed at a U.S. military base in Jordan on Sunday.

President Biden attended the dignified return of three slain service members at Dover Air Force Base on Friday afternoon.

Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby holds a press briefing at the Pentagon. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

The White House stressed Friday evening that the United States is "not looking for a war with Iran," saying the retaliatory strikes carried out in Syria and Iraq were designed to "de-escalate" tensions and "put an end" to attacks on U.S. troops in the region.

White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters Friday that the strikes were meant to "send a signal" to those who "seek to bring Americans harm." 

"We do not seek a conflict with Iran," Kirby said. "These targets were chosen to degrade and disrupt capabilities of IRGC and groups they sponsor and support."

Kirby said that "the goal" of the strikes was "to get these attacks" on U.S. service members in the region "to stop."

"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 began tonight—they are not going to end tonight," Kirby said. "There will be additional responses, additional action we will take, all designed to put an end to these attacks."

Read more about the White House's statement on the strikes.

Fox News' Brooke Singman contributed to this report.

The U.S. used B1 bombers in part of the airstrikes. (DVIDs)

White House National Security Council Spokesperson John Kirby said that the airstrikes against Syria were "carefully selected" to avoid civilian casualties.

"Targets were carefully selected to avoid civilian casualties and based on clear, irrefutable evidence," Kirby told reporters on Friday evening. "They were connected to attacks on U.S. personnel in the region.”

Kirby said that all US aircraft are now "out of harms way" following the airstrikes on more than 85 Iran-backed targets in Iraq and Syria.

Kirby stressed that the U.S. does not seek conflict with Iran or in Middle East.

He noted that while the airstrikes began tonight, they will not end tonight.

Fox News' Brooke Singman contributed to this report.

U.S. House of Representatives, T.H. Mike Waltz speaks during the 2023 Concordia Annual Summit at Sheraton New York on September 18, 2023 in New York City. (Riccardo Savi/Getty Images for Concordia Summit)

House Republican said that the President Biden-authorized airstrikes against Syria are "too little and five days late."

“The Iranians didn’t warn our troops before murdering them," Rep. Jim Banks, R-IN, said in a statement. "These strikes are better than nothing but they’re too little and five days late.”

Florida Rep. Mike Waltz said that he is interested if the airstrikes will impose any "real costs" on Iran.

“I’ll be interested in what effect the Biden Administration telegraphing these strikes for the past five days had on our ability to impose real costs on Iran,” 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 regime in Iran, annihilate Hamas, and support our strategic partners in the Middle East has emboldened the enemies of freedom to target, attack, and murder US troops,” Giménez said in a statement.

“President Biden is weak and our enemies know it," he continued. "His misguided foreign policy has invited these attacks against the United States. In fact, Biden lifted President Trump’s sanctions on Iran which were among the most effective in history. Oil sanctions need to be immediately reimposed on the Iranian regime and Biden should’ve taken action much sooner to adequately deter further attacks from Iran & its terrorist proxies."

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin attends the dignified transfer for fallen service members U.S. Army Sgt. William Rivers, Sgt. Breonna Moffett and Sgt. Kennedy Sanders at Dover Air Force Base on February 02, 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 American forces.

The airstrikes came after the deaths of three U.S. service members last Sunday on a U.S. base in Jordan.

"Following the attack on U.S. and Coalition Forces in northeastern Jordan this past Sunday that killed three U.S. service members, at President Biden’s direction, U.S. military forces today conducted strikes on seven facilities, which included more than 85 targets in Iraq and Syria, that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and affiliated militias use to attack U.S. forces," Austin said in a statement on Friday evening. "This is the start of our response."

The secretary explained that the retaliatory airstrikes will hold the IRGC and affiliate militias "accountable" for their attacks on the U.S. service members.

"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.

"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. "We will take all necessary actions to defend the United States, our forces, and our interests."

President Biden on Friday took part in the dignified transfer of the remains of three troops killed in the Iran-backed militia attack in Jordan last weekend. (Getty Images)

President Biden addressed airstrikes in the Middle East in a statement Friday, adding the U.S. response "will continue."

"This past Sunday, three American soldiers were killed in Jordan by a drone launched by militant groups backed by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC)," Biden said in a statement on Friday evening. "Earlier today, I attended the dignified return of these brave Americans at Dover Airforce Base, and I have spoken with each of their families."

"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. does not "seek conflict" in the Middle East, that they will respond if they "harm an American."

"Our response began today.  It will continue at times and places of our choosing," he said.

"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 agency said that forces conducted the strikes with numerous aircraft, including two B-1B bombers.(Credit: DVIDs)

Central Command released a statement Friday following 85 U.S. retaliatory airstrikes Iranian targets in Iraq and Syria.

"At 4:00 p.m. (EST) Feb. 02, 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. U.S. military forces struck more than 85 targets, with numerous aircraft to include long-range bombers flown from United States. The airstrikes employed more than 125 precision munitions. The facilities that were struck included command and control operations, centers, intelligence centers, rockets, and missiles, and unmanned aired vehicle storages, and logistics and munition supply chain facilities of militia groups and their IRGC sponsors who facilitated attacks against U.S. and Coalition forces."

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.”

The strikes come nearly a week after three U.S. service members were killed in a drone strike on a base in Jordan by Iranian-backed militia groups.

A number of lawmakers have also expressed concern about the “war powers” authority to executive strikes – be it today’s action or the regular exchanges the U.S. has been engaged in for weeks with the Houthis.

Congress has the power under Article I, Section 6 to “Declare war.” Bipartisan lawmakers have indicated that the President must come to Congress to seek a broader authorization.

However, the President can rely on his power in the Constitution as “Commander in Chief.” There is also the “War Powers Resolution of 1973.” That gives the President broad power to act – only reporting to Congress later about hostilities overseas.

WORLD

US begins Middle East airstrikes in response to deaths of three soldiers

The U.S. has begun airstrikes on Syrian targets from multiple platforms, a U.S Defense official has told Fox News.

The U.S. has begun airstrikes on Middle East targets from multiple platforms, a U.S Defense official has told Fox News.