US Warplanes Retaliate After Sophisticated Attacks by Surveillance-Avoiding Drones from Iran

President Joe Biden commanded the military forces to launch airstrikes against Iran-backed militia groups on the Iraq-Syria border on Sunday evening following a series of attacks against US military assets in Iraq.

US officials said that the new class of Iranian-made drones could evade American surveillance and defenses. The most recent of such attacks transpired previously this month when an armed drone shattered at a dining facility at a key entry point in the Baghdad airport used by US diplomats and soldiers, according to a US military official.

Biden Acted to Protect US Personnel

Biden oversaw military forces in launching the defensive precision airstrikes. Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said that the targets were chosen because they were involved in the unmanned drone attacks by Syria-backed militia on facilities used by the US. The targets that were involved in the airstrikes were two operational and weapons storage facilities in Syria and one in Iraq, reported CNN.

He also said that the strikes showed that President Biden is committed to action in protecting US personnel. He said, "Given the ongoing series of attacks by Iran-backed groups targeting US interests in Iraq, the President directed further military action to disrupt and deter such attacks."

The Pentagon press secretary mentioned that the airstrikes targeted weapons and operational storage facilities at one location in Iraq and two locations in Syria. The facilities were utilized by at least two militias called Kata'ib Sayyid al-Shuhada and Kata'ib Hezbollah, per NBC News.

A strong Iraqi militia alliance, the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF), said four members of a faction were killed. In response to the airstrikes, they also threatened to retaliate. Around 2,500 American troops are in Iraq as part of a worldwide coalition backing local security forces in their combat against Islamic State (IS), the jihadist group, reported BBC.

These military movements could be a sign that the fighting could be transforming into a sustained confrontation. According to a spokesperson for the American-led coalition Col. Wayne Marotto, multiple rockets had been charged at American troops and US forces responded by firing artillery at the rocket initiating positions.

Kirby said the United States took proper, necessary, and purported action designated to restrict the susceptibility of escalation. He also made sure to note that operations like this were meant to send a clear and unambiguous disincentive message. The Pentagon stated the country responded in self-defense.

Moreover, Kirby stressed out that America acted within its legal rights. As a matter of domestic law, Biden took this action pursuant to his Article II authority in order to shield American personnel in Iraq.

Iraq's military has denounced the American airstrikes. The militia groups called for retaliation against the US, using the facilities to initiate unmanned aerial vehicle strikes against American troops in Iraq.