US targets Iran-backed militias in Syria and Iraq

The US military, under the direction of President Joe Biden, conducted airstrikes against what it said were "facilities used by Iran-backed militia groups" near the border between Iraq and Syria.

Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said the militias were using the facilities to launch unmanned aerial vehicle attacks against U.S. troops in Iraq.

Kirby said the US military targeted three operational and weapons storage facilities Sunday — two in Syria and one in Iraq.

He described the airstrikes as "defensive," saying they were launched in response to the attacks by militias.

The Pentagon said the facilities were used by Iran-backed militia factions, including Kata'ib Hezbollah and Kata'ib Sayyid al-Shuhada.

Two Iraqi militia officials told The Associated Press in Baghdad that four militiamen were killed in the airstrikes near the border with Syria.

Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to give official statements.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based group that closely monitors the Syrian conflict through activists on the ground, reported that at least five Iraqi militiamen were killed in the airstrikes.