US warns of more retaliatory strikes as it hits Iraq, Syria amid Gaza war
Al Jazeera
In response, Iran-aligned groups say they have attacked US bases in Syria as well as western and northern Iraq.
The United States has warned of more retaliatory strikes after it hit Iran-linked targets in Iraq and Syria in response to an attack that killed American soldiers in Jordan amid Israel’s war on Gaza.
Iraq on Saturday condemned the attacks and said they would “have severe implications on the security and stability” of the region, while Syria accused Washington of backing “terrorism”.
The strikes did not take place inside Iranian territory. Reporting from Tehran, Al Jazeera’s Resul Serdar said there was no official reaction yet from Iranian authorities and they were likely “going through a damage assessment process”.
US National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told journalists that the goal of the “multitiered” attacks Washington had said it would conduct was to stop attacks by Iran-aligned groups, and not to start a war with Iran.
President Joe Biden said the strikes “will continue at times and places of our choosing” as his chief diplomat Antony Blinken is preparing to embark on his fifth regional tour since October 7 from Sunday, visiting Israel, the occupied West Bank, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Qatar.
