U.S. airstrikes in Iraq to deter Iranian militants from attacking - Biden
Joe Biden, President of the United States (photo: Getty Images)
The U.S. military's airstrikes earlier this week against targets in Iraq were aimed at deterring Iran and Tehran-backed militant groups from attacking U.S. personnel and facilities in the Middle East, said American President Joe Biden according to Reuters.
"The strikes were intended to degrade and disrupt the ongoing series of attacks against the United States and our partners, and to deter Iran and Iran-backed militia groups from conducting or supporting further attacks on United States personnel and facilities," Biden said on Wednesday in his letter to the top leaders of the U.S. Congress.
The American president emphasized that the United States is ready to take "further action, as necessary and appropriate, to address further threats or attacks."
Background
On Monday, December 25, the U.S. Army attacked the targets belonging to the Kataib Hezbollah group. This attack was a response to a drone strike on a U.S. base in Iraq.
Then, as a result of a drone attack by militants linked to Iraq, one American serviceman was in critical condition and two others were wounded.
Situation in the Middle East
The clash took place against the backdrop of Israel's ongoing war with the Hamas group in the Gaza Strip and escalation in the region. As a reminder, the Iranian-allied groups in Iraq and Syria oppose the IDF's campaign in the Palestinian enclave and hold the United States responsible for its support of the Israeli side.
The U.S. military said that the strikes in Iraq may have killed "several Kataib Hezbollah militants" and destroyed facilities used by the group.
Earlier it was reported that in December, the Lebanese group Hezbollah promised to intensify attacks on U.S. military bases in the Middle East.
