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. This was the first use of ballistic missiles against Americans in the region since mid-October, which the U.
