The United States conducted strikes in Iraq and Syria on Friday, beginning what the Biden administration said will be a multiday retaliatory campaign against Iranian-aligned militants whom the White House blames for the killing of three U.S. soldiers in Jordan on Sunday.
“Our response began today,” President Biden said in a statement following the strikes. “It will continue at times and places of our choosing.” He said the United States “does not seek conflict in the Middle East” but cautioned that attacks against Americans would garner a response.
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group comprising multiple militias backed by Iran, claimed responsibility for the Jan. 28 attack. Israel’s defense minister said the focus of Israel’s military operation will turn to Rafah — a city in southern Gaza that is now said to be home to almost half the enclave’s population.
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