President Joe Biden has notified Congress of his decision to authorize an airstrike in Syria this week against what the US said were Iranian-affiliated facilities. The official notification was made on Saturday, following the airstrike that took place on Thursday.
According to a statement released by Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby, "At President Biden's direction, US military forces conducted airstrikes against infrastructure utilized by Iranian-backed militant groups in eastern Syria." The statement further added that the strikes were designed to send a clear message and deter future attacks against US and coalition personnel in Iraq.
The airstrike reportedly targeted buildings located at a border control point used by several Iran-backed militia groups. The strike is said to have killed at least one member of the militia group and wounded several others.
President Biden defended his decision to launch the airstrike during a press conference on Friday. He stated that he acted within his constitutional authority as Commander-in-Chief and had no other option but to respond after recent attacks on US targets in Iraq.
"I'm confident in the target that we went after; we know what we hit," he said. "And I'm also confident that this process was conducted properly."
The move has been met with criticism from some members of Congress who have called for more transparency around military actions taken by the president without prior congressional approval. However, others including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer have expressed their support for President Biden's decision.
This latest development comes amid escalating tensions between Iran-backed militias and US-led coalition forces stationed in Iraq over recent months. It remains unclear how Iran will respond to these latest airstrikes or whether they will lead to further retaliation from either side.
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