The US military struck a site in Syria used by two Iranian-backed militia on Thursday. The attack was a response to rocket attacks on American forces in the region during the past two weeks. 

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Lawmakers have generated concerns on whether President Biden had the necessary authorization to give the order. When asked what message he intended to send with the airstrikes, Biden responded with “you can’t act with impunity. Be careful”. 

The airstrikes were conducted by two F15s dropping Joint Direct Attack Munitions.

Pentagon spokesman, John Kirby, said the strikes took place “at President Biden’s direction” and were authorized to deal with ongoing threats. The operation destroyed multiple facilities located at a border control point used by a number of militant groups, including Kata’ib Hezbollah and Kata’ib Sayyid al Shuhada. Kirby continued to state that they have acted in a deliberate manner that aims to de-escalate the overall situation in both Eastern Syria and Iraq. 

Iran’s foreign ministry condemned the strikes the next day. Saeed Khatibzadeh, the ministry spokesperson, called the airstrikes a “continuation of constant Zionist regime raids on Syrian soil,” a reference to Israeli aerial attacks on Syria.