President Approves Airstrike in Syria

In what may have been his first major war-fighting move as president, Joe Biden has ordered the US military to carried out an air strike targeting Iran-backed militias in Syria, the Pentagon says. The attack destroyed “multiple facilities located at a border control point used by a number of Iranian-backed militant groups”, it said. The strike may have been in response to rocket attacks against the US in Iraq last month, and comes as the US and Iran seek to re-instate their nuclear agreement, which the Trump administration scrapped. 

Tensions are flaring at home too, as US Capitol Police believe militia groups want to “blow up the Capitol and kill as many members as possible” during the President ‘s State of the Union address. Chief Yogananda Pittman made the warning in calling for the increased law enforcement presence at the Capitol ahead of Mr. Biden’s first address to Congress. It comes as Mr. Joe Biden revoked a Trump-era policy that blocked most green card applicants from entering the US, the policy aimed at protecting American workers was introduced during as pandemic lockdowns drove high unemployment. Mr. Biden said the ban harmed businesses and prevented families from reuniting in the US. A civilian contractor was killed in a rocket attack on US targets last month. A US service member and five other contractors were also injured when the rockets hit sites in Irbil, including a base used by the US-led coalition, on 15 February. Rockets have also struck US bases in Baghdad, including the Green Zone, which houses the US embassy and other diplomatic missions. Mr. Trump, meanwhile, has given his tax returns to prosecutors in New York after the Supreme Court rejected the ousted president’s attempt to prevent them from being handed over. 

The Pentagon named Kataib Hezbollah and Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada as two of the Iran-backed militias it targeted in Thursday’s strike near the Iraqi border in eastern Syria. It called the action a “proportionate military response” that was taken “together with diplomatic measures”, including consulting coalition partners. The operation” sends an unambiguous message”, the Pentagon statement said. 

“President Biden will act to protect American and 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.”