WASHINGTON — US warplanes struck two facilities in eastern Syria on Sunday as the Biden administration attempted to halt a cycle of attacks by Iran-backed militias in Iraq and Syria against US troops amid Israel's war in the Gaza Strip.
US aircraft dropped precision-guided munitions on a training facility near Albukamal and a safe house used by Iran-backed militias and members of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) near Syria's eastern border with Iraq, US officials said Sunday.
"The president has no higher priority than the safety of US personnel, and he directed today’s action to make clear that the United States will defend itself, its personnel, and its interests," Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement.
Why it matters: The strikes mark the third time US President Joe Biden has authorized aerial strikes on IRGC-linked sites in Syria in less than three weeks.
