US airstrikes hit over 85 targets in Iraq and Syria; Iraq calls it 'violation of sovereignty'

In retaliation for the drone attack in Jordan last week that claimed the lives of three US soldiers, the US conducted airstrikes in Iraq and Syria on Friday (local time) targeting over 85 targets purportedly affiliated with Iran's Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) and the militias that it supports. 18 pro-Iran fighters were reportedly killed in the attack in Syria.

Targets struck by the US military's enormous assault included intelligence and command centres, drone and ammunition storage locations, rocket and missile bases, and other establishments linked to the insurgents.

Reacting to this, the US president Joe Biden said, "If you harm an American, we will respond."

"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). Earlier today, I attended the dignified return of these brave Americans at Dover Airforce Base, and I have spoken with each of their families," said Biden.

"This afternoon, at my direction, US military forces struck targets at facilities in Iraq and Syria that the IRGC and affiliated militia use to attack US forces. Our response began today. It will continue at times and places of our choosing," he added.

According to the sources, the US airstrikes in Iraq and Syria involved the participation of Air Force B-1 bombers.

Targeting seven locations - three in Iraq and four in Syria, US soldiers launched their first significant military operation under President Joe Biden's administration. According to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the strikes, which included the employment of long-range B-1 bombers killed eighteen militants in Syria who were supported by Iran.

Iraq condemned the attack, called it 'violation of sovereignty'

Meanwhile, the Iraq and Syria military has condemned the US airstrikes targeting militia positions, the spokesman for the commander-in-chief of the Iraqi armed forces said these strikes come at a time when Iraq is “striving to ensure stability in the region," according to reports

“These strikes constitute a violation of Iraqi sovereignty, an undermining of the efforts of the Iraqi government, and a threat that will drag Iraq and the region into undesirable consequences, the consequences of which will be dire for security and stability in Iraq and the region,” it further reported.

Meanwhile, Syrian state media accused the US aggressiveness for the attacks, which according to them targeted Syria’s desert areas and those around the Syrian-Iraq border, resulting in a number of casualties, according to the sources.