China News Service, February 28, reported that US President Biden recently instructed the Department of Defense to launch air strikes against targets of the militia in eastern Syria, destroying multiple facilities and killing more than 20 people.
Biden said that the attack was to warn Iran to "be careful," but some Democrats questioned that Biden did not have the authority to perform this action.
Syria and Iran criticized the US actions as "negative signals" that will exacerbate regional tensions.
U.S. Department of Defense spokesman Kirby issued a statement that day, saying: "Under the instructions of President Biden, the U.S. military carried out air strikes on facilities used by Iran-backed Syrian militias in eastern Syria before this evening."
Kirby said that the military notified members of Congress before the airstrike, and pointed out that two F-15E fighters dropped multiple bombs at that time, destroying 9 facilities, and 2 facilities were partially damaged.
The Pentagon pointed out that this was a response to the recent attack on US and coalition forces in Iraq.
White House spokesperson Psaki said that Biden used the constitutional power to issue airstrike orders, saying that Biden had sent a "clear message."
However, some Democrats opposed this military action, saying that they had not been authorized by Congress beforehand.
Democratic Senator Tim Kane, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said in a written statement that Americans should understand the "reasonableness" of the airstrike and "there is no legitimate reason for requesting congressional approval."
Chris Murphy, a Democratic senator and member of the Senate’s Foreign Relations Committee’s Asian Affairs Panel, said, “Such retaliatory air strikes are unnecessary to prevent imminent threats and must be in line with Congress’s existing military mandate. "Murphy said that Congress should require the government to produce "a clear legal basis for military operations" as in the past.
A spokesperson for the National Security Council defended that the White House had “goed through strict procedures, including a legal review of air strikes.” The spokesperson said that air strikes are “a necessary measure to respond to threats and are equivalent to previous attacks.” The right to self-defense under international law.
The Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned that the US air strikes on the Syrian-Iran border area not only violated international law and the UN Charter, but also sent a "negative signal" from the US government in terms of policy.
The statement stated that this move will lead to an escalation of the regional situation, and the United States should immediately cease its aggressive behavior.
The statement also emphasized that Syria pledged to "restore every inch of land and free it from occupation and terrorism."
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Khatibzad said on the 26th that the US strike against Syria was an aggressive attack, a flagrant violation of human rights and a violation of international law, and Iran strongly condemned it. The spokesperson also pointed out that the United States’ attacks on Syria’s facilities undermine Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and will increase conflicts in the region and destabilize the situation.