President Biden said on Friday that Thursday night’s airstrikes against facilities linked to an Iranian-backed militia in Syria were intended to warn Iran that it “cannot act with impunity”.
Driving the news: The Pentagon said the attacks, authorized by Biden, were carried out “in response to recent attacks on US and coalition personnel in Iraq” and were intended to “de-escalate the overall situation in both eastern Syria and Iraq.”
What he says: When a reporter asked him what message he wanted to send to Iran with his government’s first public military action, Biden said, “You cannot act with impunity. Be careful.”
An Iraqi militia officer said the attacks killed one hunter and injured several others, AP reports.
- Iranian State Department spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh called the US strikes “illegal aggression” and said they violated human rights and international law, Reuters said.
The big picture: Earlier on Friday, some Democrats criticized the Biden administration for the strike and demanded a briefing.
- Senate Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) Said in a statement that Congress “will need more information to assess the effectiveness of the attacks and the signal they are sending to Tehran and its proxies, but I believe the president acted well. within the authorities. of his office. “
- A National Security Council spokesman said the Pentagon has notified Congress in advance and the government continues to inform the Hill at the level of members and staff.
Go deeper: US attacks Iranian-backed militia facilities in Syria