Syria: Two F-15E Strike Eagles dropped seven, precision-guided munitions
25 Feb official release: “At President Biden’s direction, U.S. military forces earlier this evening conducted airstrikes against infrastructure utilized by Iranian-backed militant groups in eastern Syria. These strikes were authorized in response to recent attacks against American and Coalition personnel in Iraq, and to ongoing threats to those personnel. Specifically, the strikes destroyed multiple facilities located at a border control point used by a number of Iranian-backed militant groups, including Kait’ib Hezbollah (KH) and Kait’ib Sayyid al-Shuhada (KSS).
UPDATE
Defense Official Says F-15s Struck Iranian-Backed Militia Facilities in Syria
FEB. 26, 2021 | BY TERRI MOON CRONK
Last night’s U.S. military airstrike over eastern Syria involved two F-15E Strike Eagles that dropped seven, precision-guided munitions, which totally destroyed nine facilities and partially destroyed two others, functionally destroying them, Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby said.
U.S. Conducts Defensive Airstrikes Against Iranian-backed Militia in Syria
The airstrike was conducted against the infrastructure used by Iranian-backed militant groups, Kirby told reporters today.
“The strike was authorized in response to recent attacks against American and coalition personnel in Iraq and to ongoing threats to those personnel. We recognize the significance of this operation as the first of its kind under the new administration” of President Joe Biden, he said.
The structures were in the city of Abu-Kamal, Syria, near a terrorist entry-control point close to the Syria-Iraq border, Kirby said, adding that the location is known to facilitate activity by Iranian-allied militia groups.
“We have preliminary details about casualties on site, but I won’t be able to discuss additional details at this time because our battle-damage assessment is ongoing,” Kirby said, adding this response was conducted together with diplomatic measures, including consultation with coalition partners and notification to Congressional leadership before the strikes.
“As we made clear last night and, I think, through President Biden’s order, he made clear that the United States will act to protect American and coalition personnel and our security interests in the region,” he noted.
The purpose for striking those targets was twofold, according to Kirby: to clearly try to make an impact on the groups and their ability to conduct future attacks and to send a clear signal that the United States is going to protect its people and its interests and those of its partners in the region.
“These targets were chosen carefully, very deliberately,” Kirby said.
“This really was a defensive strike meant to help protect … American forces and coalition partners,” he said.
The United States is confident the targets were legitimate and used by groups associated with recent attacks. They were structures and housing used to help perpetrate attacks on U.S. troops and its coalition partners in Iraq, the spokesman said.
“We have preliminary indications of casualties on site. I’m not going to go any further than that,” Kirby noted. “The Russians were contacted just prior to the strike using the deconfliction mechanism that is in place.”
“[Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III] was very sincere when he praised our Iraqi partners for the investigative and intelligence work they did,” Kirby said. “There was some very good work done on the intelligence side that helped lead to these successful strikes.”
The F-15E Strike Eagle is a dual-role fighter designed to perform air-to-air and air-to-ground missions. An array of avionics and electronics systems gives the F-15E the capability to fight at low altitudes day or night and in all weather, according to the Air Force.
FEB. 25, 2021 | BY JIM GARAMONE
American forces have struck at an Iranian-backed militia in Syria that launched rocket attacks against U.S. bases in Iraq, Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby told reporters traveling with Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin.
At President Joe Biden’s direction, U.S. military forces, earlier this evening, launched airstrikes against infrastructure utilized by Iranian-backed militant groups in Eastern Syria. These strikes were authorized in response to recent attacks against U.S. and coalition personnel in Iraq, and to on-going threats to those personnel, Kirby said.
“There’s not much more that I’ll be able to add at this point other than the fact that we’re confident in the target we went after, we know what we hit,” the secretary of defense said. “We’re confident that the target was being used by the same Shia militia that conducted the strikes.”
According to the press secretary, the strikes destroyed multiple facilities located at a border control point used by a number of Iranian-backed militant groups including Kait’ib Hezbollah and Kait’ib Sayyid al-Shuhada.
“We are very deliberative in our approach as you would expect us to be,” Austin continued. “We allowed and encouraged the Iraqis to investigate and develop intelligence for us, and that was very helpful to us in refining the target.”
This proportionate military response was conducted along with diplomatic measures, including consultation with coalition partners. The operation sends an unambiguous message: President Biden will act to protect American and coalition personnel. At the same time, we have acted in a deliberate manner that aims to de-escalate the overall situation in both Eastern Syria and Iraq, Kirby said.
“Let me say that I am very proud of the men and women in our force that carried out the strike. As you would expect, they performed in a very professional manner, and we are grateful for their service,” Austin said.
Iraqi Government Examines In-Country Missile Attacks on U.S. Bases
FEB. 23, 2021 | BY C. TODD LOPEZ, DOD NEWS
The Iraqi government is investigating three attacks on U.S. bases in the country and is doing a careful and complete job, Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby said.
“We had a very good discussion with our Iraqi partners a couple of weeks ago, in the wake of the Irbil attacks,” Kirby told reporters today. “They made it very clear to the [secretary of defense] that they’re taking this seriously, and they want the chance to investigate it for themselves … we’re going to let them do that.”
The attack in Irbil killed a U.S. contractor and wounded a service member and others, while the attack in Baghdad’s Green Zone caused property damage. In addition, an attack at Balad Air Base wounded personnel.
Despite the suspicions about the source of the weapons used and who backed those responsible, Kirby said the attacks remain unrelated to any diplomatic activities that may be happening between the U.S. and Iran.
“This has nothing to do with … any diplomatic efforts that may or may not be happening,” he said. “It has to do with trying to make sure we judge accountability the right way. And that’s what the secretary wants to give our Iraqi partners the time and space to do.”
Despite that commitment, Kirby said the Defense Department is aware of the threat Iran continues to pose in the region.
“Nobody’s backing away from the significant security challenges that Iran still poses, … and we’ve not been bashful about that at all,” he said. “And nobody also is in a rush to judgment here on these particular attacks … historically, we have seen these attacks from Shia-backed militias on our facilities, our people, and those of the Iraqis, as well, being conducted with weaponry, rockets that have Iranian origin.”
Kirby said the department has concerns Iranians are using proxies in the Middle East to create insecurity and instability in the region. “Their malign activities in the region are a matter of record,” he said. “And nothing has changed about our desire to be able to address those malign activities in the appropriate way.”