Biden orders air-strike to Iran-backed Militias in Syria and Iraq

The U.S. lauched air-strikes against Iran backed militias in Syria and Iraq.

Three 'operational and weapons storage facilities' were targeted, according to the U.S. military.

Washington said the militias had recently conducted drone attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq.

The 'defensive' strikes were directed by President Joe Biden, the Pentagon said.

The military action was the 2nd time Biden  has ordered the use of force in the region.

Secretary of State  Anthony Blinken said it showed Biden is 'prepared' to protect US personnel.

The Iraqi government called the move an unacceptable violation of its sovereignty.

The Iran-backed militias vowed revenge.

Air Strikes on Militia

The US military air strikes on the evening of the 27th on "the facilities used by Iran-backed militias in the Iraq-Syria border area," specifically, two locations in Syria and one location in Iraq. "Command and weapons storage facilities."

The US Department of Defense said that several "Iran-backed" militias used these facilities, including the "Allah Brigade" and the "Sayed Martyrs Brigade", which "attacked U.S. personnel and facilities in Iraq with unmanned aerial vehicles." The "Allah Brigade" and the "Sayed Martyrs Brigade" are Iraqi Shiite forces and members of the "People's Mobilization Organization" of the Iraqi militia.

The "People's Mobilization Organization" is composed of dozens of militias. It has been with the Iraqi government forces to fight the extremist organization "Islamic State" for many years. Since 2018, it has fully accepted government command. The US government claims that the "People's Mobilization Organization" is supported by the Shia power Iran.

In January last year, the U.S. military dispatched drones to attack and kill Iranian senior general Qassem Soleimani and the deputy commander of the "People's Mobilization Organization" outside the Iraqi capital Baghdad International Airport. Abu Mehdi Muhandis and others triggered protests by the Iraqi people. The Iraqi National Assembly immediately passed a resolution requesting the government to end the presence of foreign troops in Iraq.

U.S. air strikes on Syrian-Iran border exposed

The Syrian government has always condemned the violation of Syrian sovereignty by the U.S. military presence in Syria.

The US military did not disclose the casualties. According to a report by the Syrian News Television in the early hours of the 28th, the city of Abu Kamal in the border area between the eastern Syrian province of Deir al-Zour and Iraq was attacked by the US military. One child was killed and at least three others were injured.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights in the United Kingdom said on the 28th that at least five Iraqi militiamen were killed and several injured in the US airstrike. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights relies on sources in Syria to gather information.

Two U.S. government officials told Reuters that the U.S. military dispatched F-15 and F-16 fighter jets. The targets of air strikes included militias armed with a facility that controls drones.

The Iraqi military condemned the U.S. for violating all international conventions.

On June 28 local time, the spokesperson of the commander-in-chief of the Iraqi Armed Forces, Yahya Rasul issued a statement condemning the U.S. airstrike against the People’s Mobilization Organization in the early morning of the same day, calling it an antipathy. The flagrant violation of Iraq’s sovereignty and national security violates all international conventions and is totally unacceptable.

The statement stated that Iraq refuses to be a venue for foreign forces to resolve disputes, resolutely defends its sovereign rights, calls on all parties to calm down and avoid any escalation of the situation, and emphasizes that Iraq will carry out necessary investigations and judicial procedures to avoid similar incidents from happening again.

In addition, on June 28, local time, the spokesperson of the Iraqi militia organization "Fatah Alliance" Assadi announced that the target of the airstrikes launched by US planes against the Iraqi border city of Qaim was the 14th Brigade of the People’s Mobilization Organization. The United States wants to provoke between the Iraqi people and the army.

The "Fatah Alliance" includes multiple militia organizations such as the Badr organization, the Justice League, and the Hezbollah brigade.

Iran condemned the United States for disrupting regional security and creating instability.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Khatibzad responded on June 28, local time, saying that the United States is still taking a wrong path in the Middle East, undermining regional security and creating factors of instability.

Khatibzad said that what Iran sees now is that the US government continues to adhere to its failure policy in the Middle East. This policy is not only reflected in the US sanctions on other countries, but also in its regional policies. Iran proposes that the United States correct its wrong policies so that the people in the Middle East can decide their own destiny without the intervention of the United States. But what the United States is doing now is to undermine regional security, and the United States itself will become one of the victims of regional insecurity.

The U.S. military once struck eastern Syria. Condemned by many parties.

This is the second time such a military operation has been launched on the Syrian side of the Syrian-Iran border since the Biden administration took office.

In February of this year, Biden instructed the US military to air strikes on facilities used by "Iranian-backed" militias in this area, including the facilities of the "Allah Brigade". The "Syrian Observatory for Human Rights" said at the time that the airstrike killed more than 20 armed personnel.

The United States claimed that the airstrike in February was in retaliation for the attack on a US military base in Iraq. Earlier that month, the base was hit by rockets. A civilian serving the US military was killed and a US soldier and others were injured. "Allah's Brigade" denied launching that attack.

U.S. air strikes on Syrian-Iran border exposed

The actions of the US military at that time also drew opposition and condemnation from many parties.

The Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs pointed out that the U.S. military’s move was a flagrant violation of international law and the UN Charter, and called on the UN Security Council to take action to stop U.S. aggression. Iran stated that U.S. actions undermined Syria’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity and would lead to increased conflicts in the region. And undermine the stability of the regional situation.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zakharova also said at the time that Russia strongly condemned the US air strikes and called on the US to unconditionally respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria.