Iraq-Syria Airstrikes: Funeral For Fighters Killed at Border Held in Baghdad

The U.S. launched airstrikes against Iran-backed militias near the Iraq-Syria border in response to drone attacks on American forces in Iraq. A symbolic funeral for Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) fighters takes place in Baghdad. President Joe Biden said he ordered the airstrikes and pushed back against members of Congress who questioned whether he should have consulted them about any imminent threat before attacking.

“I directed last night’s airstrikes targeting sites used by the Iranian-backed militia groups responsible for recent attacks on U.S. personnel in Iraq, and I had that authority under Article II,” Biden said in his first public remarks on the attack, citing the Constitutional provision making him commander in chief.

The pushback on lawmakers came amid debate on Capitol Hill on whether to repeal or replace broad and longstanding authorizations for war in the Middle East. But Biden’s remarks indicated that he didn’t base his decision on those authorizations, which date back decades.

Speaking in Italy earlier, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the U.S. strikes signal that the U.S. won’t hesitate to protect its interests in the Middle East.

The action should “send a clear and unambiguous deterrent message,” Blinken said during a visit to Rome. “I hope very much that it is received by those who are intended to receive it.”

The raids on operational and weapons storage facilities came in response to attacks on U.S. interests and were a “necessary, appropriate and deliberate action” designed to limit the risk of escalation, Blinken said.

In a potential sign that tit-for-tat attacks may continue, multiple rockets were fired at a base used by American troops in eastern Syria Monday night. A spokesman for the U.S.-led Operation Inherent Resolve said there were no injuries in the attack that took place at 7:44 p.m. local time and that damage was still being assessed.

There was no immediate reaction to the Sunday attacks from Iran, where President-elect Ebrahim Raisi’s next moves are being closely watched. Iran and world powers have been locked in weeks of talks in Vienna that could see sanctions on the Islamic Republic ease in return for hemming in its contentious nuclear program. Diplomats may meet in the coming days, although no new date has been set.

Oil markets shrugged off the U.S. strikes, with traders focused on a Thursday meeting of the OPEC+ bloc.

The strikes were carried out on two locations in Syria and one location in Iraq. The U.S. has said they were aimed at deterring future attacks on American interests in Iraq, where the U.S. is aiding government forces in efforts to defeat Islamic State.

“The attacks on our troops need to stop,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters Monday, citing at least five attacks by armed drones since April. She said some members of Congress were notified in advance of the strikes and that others will be briefed.

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