AdvertisementThe airstrikes Thursday follow a warning by President Biden — who has faced increasing pressure to retaliate for the attacks on American personnel — to Iran’s supreme leader that the United States would act if further provoked. The United States has for many years faced assaults from Iranian-linked militants in Iraq, where the Pentagon maintains a force of some 2,500 troops, and in Syria, where U.S. personnel number around 900. The Biden administration has authorized previous strikes against Iranian-linked targets in Syria, including in March. Most worrying for Israel and the United States is the armed Lebanese group Hezbollah, which is also supported by Iran. “Iran is trying to hide its hand and maintain some level of deniability, and we are not allowing that to happen,” a senior defense official said.

Source: Libya Today October 27, 2023 20:34 UTC