Pentagon says U.S. military attacked Iran-backed groups along Iraq-Syria border on Sunday
In a statement released Sunday night, Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said that U.S. military forces bombed facilities used by Iran-backed militia groups along the Iraq-Syria border on Sunday.
The full statement reads:
"At President Biden's direction, U.S. military forces earlier this evening conducted defensive precision airstrikes against facilities used by Iran-backed militia groups in the Iraq-Syria border region. The targets were selected because these facilities are utilized by Iran-backed militias that are engaged in unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) attacks against U.S. personnel and facilities in Iraq. Specifically, the U.S. strikes targeted operational and weapons storage facilities at two locations in Syria and one location in Iraq, both of which lie close to the border between those countries. Several Iran-backed militia groups, including Kata'ib Hezbollah (KH) and Kata'ib Sayyid al-Shuhada (KSS), used these facilities.
A U.S. defense official with knowledge of the strikes told Fox News that US Air Force F-15s and F-16s were used in the operation. The strikes took place at approximately 6 p.m. Eastern Time, or 1 a.m. local time.
At least one facility used by Iran’s militia forces to launch and recover drones was destroyed, the official added. Recent strikes by the crude drones have targeted Americans in Baghdad and Erbil in northern Iraq.
The official said he does not expect "a lot of casualties" from the Iranian-backed forces because of the time of the strike.
All U.S. jets returned to base without a problem, the official added.
This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.