Iran-backed groups have attacked US forces more than 60 times since mid-Oct.
United States fighter jets struck two sites in Iraq used by Iran-linked militants on Wednesday morning local time, according to U.S. Central Command and defense officials.
This is the fourth round of American retaliatory airstrikes in response to a near-daily spate of attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria by Iran-backed groups. The attacks began in mid-October, 10 days after Hamas’ deadly terror attack on Israel. The Pentagon counts more than five dozen such attacks since then.
“U.S. forces have been attacked approximately 66 times since October 17,” Pentagon Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters Tuesday night. “32 separate times in Iraq, and 34 separate times in Syria.”
Wednesday’s strikes were partly in response to militants launching two close-range ballistic missiles at U.S. forces on al-Asad Airbase in western Iraq, injuring as many as eight service members.
