Air raids were launched on operational facilities and weapons depots
Washington targets Iranian-backed Iraqi factions in Syria and Iraq
The "Popular Mobilization" announces the killing of 4 of its fighters in the American strikes.
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A number of members of Iran-backed factions were killed yesterday, by US air strikes targeting their positions on the Syrian-Iraqi border, in a move that the Iraqi Prime Minister considered a "blatant violation of the sovereignty" of his country, while the US Secretary of State hoped it would constitute a strong deterrent.
The strikes come at a sensitive stage, as Washington accuses Iraqi factions linked to Iran of launching attacks on Iraqi facilities housing American elements, at a time when international efforts are continuing to reactivate the nuclear agreement with Tehran.
And Pentagon spokesman John Kirby announced, in a statement, that “at the direction of US President Joe Biden, the US military forces launched precision defensive air strikes against facilities used by Iranian-backed militias in the Iraqi-Syrian border area,” noting that Biden gave his instructions “more Military action to disrupt and deter the ongoing attacks by Iranian-backed groups targeting US interests in Iraq.
"This act of self-defense to do what is necessary to prevent further attacks sends an important and powerful message to the target factions," US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said during a visit to Rome.
For his part, Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi condemned yesterday the strikes, which he considered a "blatant violation of Iraq's sovereignty."
He said in a statement, "Iraq renews its refusal to be an arena for settling accounts, and adheres to its right to sovereignty over its territory, and to prevent its use as an arena for reactions and attacks," calling for "calm down and avoiding escalation in all its forms."
According to Washington, the American strikes targeted operational facilities and weapons depots in two locations in Syria and one location in Iraq.
For its part, the Popular Mobilization announced in a statement the killing of four of its fighters in the American strikes, which it said targeted “three stationed points” inside the Iraqi border in the Qaim district, west of Anbar Governorate, noting that its fighters were “performing their usual duty to prevent the infiltration of ISIS terrorist elements from Syria.” to Iraq".
Sources from the Popular Mobilization Forces stated that the dead belonged to the "Sayyid al-Shuhada Brigades", one of the factions most loyal to Iran.
The crowd's statement stressed that the targeted points "do not include any warehouses or the like, contrary to the American allegations," and added, "We affirm that we reserve the legal right to respond to these attacks and hold the perpetrators accountable on Iraqi soil."
The death toll varied between the statement of the crowd and other sources.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that at least seven Iraqi fighters were killed as a result of US strikes that targeted "military headquarters and the movements of Iraqi militias loyal to Iran inside Syrian territory."
The official Syrian News Agency (SANA) also reported the death of a child.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said that "what the United States is doing is destabilizing the security of the region," adding that "one of the victims of instability in the region will be the United States itself."
The pro-Iranian groups, led by factions of the Popular Mobilization Forces, enjoy military influence in the border area between Syria and Iraq and are spread on the western bank of the Euphrates River in the border province of Deir ez-Zor.
Trucks carrying weapons and ammunition or warehouses in the area are often hit by strikes attributed to Israel.
The air strikes (Sunday) constitute the second US attack of its kind against Iranian-backed factions in Syria since President Joe Biden took office. In February, more than 20 Iraqi fighters were killed in US strikes targeting their positions in eastern Syria, according to a report by the Syrian Observatory.
The Pentagon spokesman explained that the facilities, which were targeted by the strikes (Sunday), "are used by Iranian-backed militias participating in drone attacks against American personnel and facilities in Iraq."
Since the beginning of the year, more than 40 attacks have targeted US interests in Iraq, where 2,500 US soldiers are deployed as part of an international coalition to combat the terrorist organization ISIS.
The recent use of drones is a source of concern to the coalition, because these flying devices can evade the defenses that the US military has installed to defend its forces against missile attacks.
The spokesman said that the strikes constitute "a necessary, appropriate and deliberate action to reduce the risk of escalation."
And on Friday night, an attack took place with three booby-trapped drones in an area near the US Consulate on the outskirts of Erbil in the Kurdistan region in northern Iraq.
"As evidenced by the strikes (the night before last), President Biden was clear that he would act to protect American personnel," Blinken said yesterday.
For his part, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian affirmed: "France's support for the stability and sovereignty of Iraq," calling for increased cooperation with the Iraqi authorities to stop attacks against the interests of the international coalition in Iraq.
• Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi condemns the strikes, which he considers a "blatant violation of Iraq's sovereignty."
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