US carries out air strikes in Syria targeting Iranian backed militias

The US military on Thursday struck a site in Syria used by two Iranian-backed militia groups in response to rocket attacks on American forces in the region in the past two weeks.

"Up to a handful" of militants were killed in the strikes, a US official told CNN.

The strikes, which mark the US military's first known action under President Joe Biden, swiftly drew criticism from a Democratic lawmaker. The site was not specifically tied to the rocket attacks but Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said he was "confident" it was used by the same Iranian-backed Shia militias that had fired rockets at US and coalition forces.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said the strikes took place "at President Biden's direction" and were authorized not just to respond to the recent attacks against American and coalition forces but also to deal with "ongoing threats to those personnel."

"Specifically, the strikes destroyed multiple facilities located at a border control point used by a number of Iranian-backed militant groups, including Kata'ib Hezbollah and Kata'ib Sayyid al Shuhada," Kirby said. "The operation sends an unambiguous message; President Biden will act to protect American coalition personnel. At the same time, we have acted in a deliberate manner that aims to de-escalate the overall situation in both Eastern Syria and Iraq."

The site the US struck on Thursday is believed to be used as part of a weapons smuggling operation by the militias, according to a US official. The strikes were conducted to degrade the groups' ability to carry out attacks and to send a message about the recent attacks, the official said.