Two U.S. fighter jets retaliated on Friday for attacks on U.S. forces by Iranian-backed militias by bombing weapons and ammunition storage facilities in Syria.
The Pentagon said that U.S. President Joe Biden ordered airstrikes against two facilities belonging to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps and militia groups, adding that the U.S. will take further action if attacks by Iran’s proxies persist.
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian warned at the United Nations on Thursday that the United States will “not be spared from this fire” if Israel’s offensive against Hamas continues.
A U.S. defense official stated that two F-16 fighter jets armed with precision munitions conducted the airstrikes near Abu Kamal, a Syrian town on the border with Iraq, at approximately 4:30 a.m. on Friday (0130 GMT).
The United States has deployed warships and fighter aircraft to the region over the past three weeks. The Pentagon reported that approximately 900 additional U.S. troops have arrived or are en route to the Middle East to strengthen air defenses for U.S. personnel.
After Hamas attacked Israeli communities on October 7, Israel began bombing the densely populated Gaza Strip. A total of 7,028 Palestinians, including 2,913 children, were killed in the retaliatory air strikes, the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza reported on Thursday.
According to Al Qahera News, a rocket fired during fighting between Hamas and Israel struck an Egyptian resort town approximately 220 kilometers (135 miles) from the Gaza Strip early on Friday. Al Qahera reported that the missile struck a medical facility in Taba, injuring at least six people.
Nearly half of Israelis (49%) want to delay any invasion of Gaza, according to a poll released on Friday, while 29% favor an immediate large-scale ground offensive and 22% are undecided.
