The Pentagon on Friday outlined the US firepower used to destroy a complex in Syria allegedly used by an Iranian-backed militia as the White House defended the legality of the attack against two-pronged backlash.
“Two F-15E Strike Eagles dropped seven precision guided ammunition, completely destroying nine facilities and partially destroying two facilities, destroying them functionally,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said at a news conference.
“The buildings were located at the Abu Kemal counter-terrorism checkpoint, near the Syria-Iraq border on the Syrian side. This location is known to facilitate the activities of militia groups with Iranian allies. “
A second facility was intended to be hit during President Biden’s first military strike, but that mission was cut short when drones revealed potential civilian casualties, Fox News reports.
Kirby said the US government has not yet determined the number of casualties from the seven 500-pound bombs, but he acknowledged local reports of deaths.
When asked what message he wanted to send to Iran, Biden, who traveled in Texas on Friday, said, “You can’t act with impunity.” He paused and added, “Be careful.”
White House press officer Jen Psaki, who traveled to Houston with Biden, told reporters aboard Air Force One that Biden had legal authority to order the attack.
Members of both sides in Congress criticized Biden’s decision, noting that in 2017 Psaki criticized then-President Donald Trump for bombing Syria.
She tweeted “What was the legal authority for strikes at the time? … Syria is a sovereign country. “
Psaki told reporters that Biden had ordered the strike to “send an unequivocal message that he will act to protect Americans.”
“Under national law, the President took this action under his Article 2 authority to defend US personnel, the targets were chosen to … match the recent attacks on facilities and reduce the risk of additional attacks. to deter attacks in the coming weeks. , ”Said Psaki.
Under international law, the United States acted in accordance with its right to self-defense, as stated in Article 50-1 of the UN Charter. The attacks were both necessary to address the threat and proportionate to the earlier attacks. “
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said Thursday the attack was in retaliation for a Feb. 15 missile strike on a US military base at Erbil International Airport in Northern Iraq, which killed a military contractor and injured a US soldier.
Under Trump and former President Barack Obama, US military action in Syria was justified under a 2001 military warrant against Al Qaeda and the 2002 legislation allowing the invasion of Iraq, although opponents said they disagreed that it was provisions provide a legal basis.