The Pentagon: We have no fears of reactions after striking Iran's militias

[size=52]The Pentagon: We have no fears of reactions after striking Iran's militias[/size]

[size=45]A senior Pentagon official denied, in exclusive statements to Al-Arabiya, that there were fears of reactions after the military strike by his air force against Iranian-backed factions in Iraq and Syria on Monday.[/size]
[size=45]A US defense official familiar with the strikes told Fox News that US Air Force F-15s and F-16s carried out the bombings and returned to their bases.[/size]
[size=45]The official added that at least one facility used by Iranian militias to launch drones was destroyed.[/size]
[size=45]The recent strikes of drones by the militias targeted US bases in Baghdad and Erbil in northern Iraq.[/size]
[size=45]The official said he did not expect "many casualties" from Iranian-backed forces due to the timing of the strike.
The official added that all US planes returned to their bases without problems.[/size]
[size=45]The Pentagon said in an official statement that the targeted facilities were used by the Iraqi Hezbollah militias and the Sayyid al-Shuhada Brigades, and the US President directed more strikes to disrupt the Iranian-backed militia's attacks against US interests.[/size]
[size=45]In a statement, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said, “At the direction of President Biden, the United States military launched precision defensive air strikes earlier this evening against facilities used by Iranian-backed militias in the Iraq-Syria border region.
The targets were chosen because these facilities are used by Iranian-backed militias to launch drone attacks against US personnel and facilities in Iraq. Specifically, US strikes targeted operational and weapons storage facilities at two locations in Syria and one in Iraq, both of which are located near the border between those countries.[/size]
[size=45]The statement added, “Several Iranian-backed militias, including Kata’ib Hezbollah and Kata’ib Sayyid Al-Shuhada, have used these facilities. As evidenced by the strikes this evening, President Biden was clear that he would act to protect American personnel. 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.[/size]
[size=45]We are in Iraq at the invitation of the Government of Iraq for the sole purpose of assisting the Iraqi Security Forces in their efforts to defeat ISIS. The United States has taken necessary, appropriate, and deliberate action to reduce the risk of escalation — but also to send a clear and unambiguous message of deterrence.
From the perspective of international law, the United States acted in accordance with its right to self-defense. The strikes were necessary to counter the threat and appropriately limited in scope. As a matter of law, the President took this action in accordance with his Article 2 authority to protect American personnel in Iraq.”[/size]
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