US Responds to Jordan Drone Attack: A Retaliatory Air Raid on Iran-Linked Targets

In a significant show of force, the US Air Force conducted a massive air raid on Iran-backed militants in Iraq and Syria, striking over 80 targets with more than 125 bombs. This retaliation was prompted by a deadly drone strike that targeted an American base in Jordan, resulting in the tragic loss of three U.S. service members.

US President Joe Biden issued a stern warning to Iran, emphasizing that the United States does not seek conflict but will respond if Americans are harmed. He made it clear that this was just the beginning of the US response, stating, “Our response began today. It will continue at times and places of our choosing.”

The US military’s Central Command (Centcom) reported that the attack, involving numerous aircraft, occurred around midnight local time and was the first in a series of planned strikes. The targets included facilities used by the IRGC Quds Force and its allied militias.

Here are key takeaways from the retaliatory strikes:

1. Targeted Strikes on IRGC Quds Force and Proxies: The US unleashed a wave of airstrikes targeting more than 85 sites linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force and its proxies in Iraq and Syria. Including command and control headquarters, intelligence centers, rockets and missiles, drone and ammunition storage sites and other facilities that were connected to the militias or the IRGC’s Quds Force, the Guard’s expeditionary unit that handles Tehran’s relationship with and arming of regional militias.
2. Response to Jordan Drone Attack: The strikes were a direct response to the drone attack that killed three US service members in Jordan, blamed on Iranian-backed militia groups Kataib Hezbollah and Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada.
3. Precise and Effective Strikes: The US claimed that the strikes were precise, hitting command and control centers, intelligence facilities, rocket and missile launchers, drone storages, and logistics and munition depots.
4. Casualties and Site Destruction: The strikes reportedly killed at least 18 Iran-backed fighters and destroyed 26 important sites in eastern Syria, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
5. Iraqi Condemnation: The strikes also targeted Iraqi border areas, drawing condemnation from the Iraqi government, which viewed them as a violation of sovereignty and a threat to regional stability.
6. US Denies Escalation Intention: US officials denied any intention to escalate the conflict with Iran’s regime, emphasizing that there were no plans to bomb Iran directly.
7. Continued US Response: The US emphasized that the strikes were only the beginning of its response, with more actions planned to hold the IRGC and its militias accountable for their attacks on US and coalition forces.