Biden approved strikes on Iraq and Syria earlier this week - CNN
U.S. President Joe Biden (photo: Getty Images)
U.S. President Joe Biden approved strikes against pro-Iranian militants in Syria and Iraq on Monday, January 29. That is, the "green light" was given the very next day after the attack on the U.S. base in Jordan, according to CNN.
According to CNN, citing its own sources, Biden was presented with options for retaliation almost immediately after Washington received word of the attack on the U.S. Tower 22 base in Jordan on Sunday, January 28.
It was at a Situation Room meeting with his top national security advisers the next morning that Biden gave the specific green light for the first series of strikes in Iraq and Syria, which were carried out on Friday, CNN noted.
At the same time, Biden was also informed that, according to sources, militants backed by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps were responsible for Sunday's drone attack.
According to CNN, in the days that followed, Biden's national security team worked in close coordination with the Pentagon, monitoring the situation in the region and finalizing plans. Officials noted that the weather in the region was an important factor in the timing of the strike.
Senior officials from various U.S. agencies met on Thursday and then again on Friday morning for a "final check" before the strikes were launched.
U.S. strikes in Iraq and Syria
In late January, a U.S. military base in Jordan was attacked by drones. According to the Pentagon, more than 40 American soldiers were injured in the attack, and three more were killed. The Pentagon said that the Iranian-backed Kataib Hezbollah group was involved in the attack.
On the evening of February 2, the U.S. military struck more than 85 targets in Iraq and Syria. The strikes lasted about 30 minutes and targeted three sites in Iraq and four in Syria.
