| February 2024 United States airstrikes in Iraq and Syria | |
|---|---|
| Part ofAttacks on US bases during the Gaza war and theMiddle Eastern crisis (2023–present) | |
| Location | |
| Target |  Iranian Revolutionary Guards[1] Liwa al-Tafuf[2]Popular Mobilization Forces Kata'ib Hezbollah[3] Islamic Resistance in Iraq Liwa Fatemiyoun[4] |
| Date | 2–7 February 2024 (5 days) |
| Executed by |  United States |
| Outcome |
|
| Casualties | 54–55[a] killed |
On 2 February 2024, theUnited States Air Force launched a series of airstrikes targetingIran'sIslamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Iran-backed militia groups located inIraq andSyria. The attack was launched in retaliation against adrone strike carried out by theIslamic Resistance in Iraq targeting US troops inJordan the week before, which killed three U.S. troops.
Since the onset of theGaza war on 7 October 2023, militia groups supported by Iran have executed more than 170 attacks on US bases in Iraq, Jordan and Syria.[10] These attacks have resulted in injuries to dozens of troops. On 28 January 2024, aShahed 136 drone strike carried out by the Islamic Resistance in Iraq targeted Tower 22, a US base inJordan, resulting in the deaths of three US troops and causing injuries to 47 others.[11][12]
Around midnight between 2 and 3 February local time (UTC+3), theUnited States Air Force carried out airstrikes targeting Iran-affiliated militia groups in Iraq and Syria. The operation involved twoB-1B bombers deployed fromDyess Air Force Base, Texas.[13][14] The targeted facilities included command and control operations centers, intelligence centers, rockets, missiles, unmanned aerial vehicle storage, as well as logistics and munition supply chain facilities belonging to militia groups.[1] American officials reported that the strikes hit 85 targets across seven facilities, three in Iraq and four in Syria, using 125 precision-guided missiles.[13] Of the 85 sites targeted, more than 80 were destroyed or rendered inoperable.[15] The 15,000-mile round trip required 44 hours flying time from Texas.[16]
Iraqi security officials reported that six airstrikes targeted a number of locations in Iraq, while Syrian state media announced that "American aggression" struck a number of sites in Syria's desert areas and theIraq–Syria border.[17] Iraqi officials reported that airstrikes targeted the headquarters of thePopular Mobilization Forces inAkashat, killing 16 fighters.[2][7] Iraqi officials also said that three houses used byKata'ib Hezbollah inAl Anbar Governorate were hit by airstrikes.[3]
According to theSyrian Observatory for Human Rights, at least 35 Iran-backed militants were killed in the airstrikes in Syria.[6]
At 9:30 p.m. local time, the United States conducted a drone strike on a vehicle inBaghdad, resulting in the death of three Kata'ib Hezbollah militants, among them senior commander Abu Baqir al-Saadi.[18][9] The attack was denounced by the Iraqi government, saying that theUS-led military coalition in Iraq is becoming a "factor for instability".[19]
TheUnited States Department of the Treasury imposed sanctions on several individuals affiliated with theIslamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.[20]
Satellite imagery byPlanet Labs revealed the extensive destruction of a facility utilized by theLiwa Fatemiyoun militia in the town of Ayyash, nearDeir Ez-Zor in Syria. The facility was targeted and subsequently obliterated by B-1B bombers.[4]
In Iraq, a funeral was held in Baghdad for 17 militiamen killed by the airstrikes on 4 February, with crowds chanting "America is the greatest devil" and holding pictures of the victims besides the ambulances transporting their remains.[8]
On 4 February, U.S. presidentJoe Biden announced the intention to direct additional measures, including against theIRGC and IRGC-affiliated personnel and facilities, as appropriate, to address the series of attacks against United States forces and facilities.[21]
President Joe Biden wrote in a statement that their response to the drone attack in Jordan had begun and would "continue at times and places of our choosing."[22]
Secretary of DefenseLloyd Austin referred to the strikes as "the start of our response" and that Biden had "directed additional actions to hold the IRGC and affiliated militias accountable for their attacks on U.S. and Coalition Forces."[23]
TheIraqi government condemned the attacks, calling it a "new aggression" against its sovereignty.[24] Iraq summoned the U.S.charge d'affaires inBaghdad to deliver a formal protest.[25]
TheSyrian Ministry of Defence slammed the "aggression of the American occupation forces", which it said was attempting "to weaken the ability of theSyrian Arab Army and its allies in the field of fightingterrorism".[24]
TheMinistry of Foreign Affairs condemned the attacks, calling it a "strategic error by the US government which will have no result but to intensify ... instability in the region".[24][26] Foreign ministry spokespersonNasser Kanaani said the attacks were a "violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iraq and Syria,international law, and a clear violation of theUnited Nations Charter".[26]
PresidentEbrahim Raisi said that Iran will not start a war, but it will "respond strongly" to anyone who bullies it.[25]
Iran's ambassador to the United Nations claimed that Iran and its allied militias were comparable to that of NATO.[27]
The leader of the IraqiKata'ib Sayyid al-Shuhada militia group called onKuwait,Jordan, andSaudi Arabia not to allow the United States to use their territory to launch attacks, saying that militias would target the source of the attacks.[28]
The spokesperson forHarakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba,Hussein al-Mosawi, said that the US "must understand that every action elicits a reaction" and also saying that "We do not wish to escalate or widen regional tensions."[29]
The Chairman of the Popular Mobilization CommissionFalih Al-Fayyadh said that the US airstrikes went "too far" because they targeted aPopular Mobilization Forces facility, saying that attacking it was crossing the "red line" and that US strikes will not go "unnoticed."[30]
Hezbollah condemned the attacks, calling it a "blatant violation of the sovereignty of the two countries" and an "attack on their security and territorial integrity".[31]
Hamas condemned the airstrikes as pouring "oil on the fire".[25]
Palestinian Islamic Jihad condemned the attacks, calling the attacks "blatant American aggression" in the interest of “Western colonialism and theZionist entity", the group also stated that it “salutes to the revolutionary Iraqi and Syrian peoples who, along with theYemeni and Lebanese peoples, are paying the price for their support of our Palestinian people in resisting the war ofgenocide."[29]
TheUnited Kingdom called the United States its "steadfast" ally and said that it supports the United States' right to respond to the attacks on its bases.[25]
Polish foreign ministerRadosław Sikorski said the US airstrikes were the result of Iranian proxies "playing with fire".[25]
Russia condemned the attacks, TheRussian foreign ministry said that the US was "sowing chaos and destruction” in theMiddle East. Foreign Ministry spokespersonMaria Zakharova said that "It is obvious that the air strikes are deliberately designed to further inflame the conflict".[29]
China condemned the attacks. Beijing's ambassador Zhang Jun said that "The US military actions are undoubtedly stoking new turmoil in this region and further intensifying tensions" at the UN.[32]
These militias have conducted over 170 attacks targeting US positions as part of this effort since October 2023.
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