ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE: The United States sent an "unambiguous message" with an airstrike against an Iranian-backed militia in eastern Syria, the White House said Friday.
President Joe Biden is "sending an unambiguous message that he's going to act to protect Americans and when threats are posed he has the right to take an action at the time and the manner of his choosing," Press Secretary Jen Psaki said.
The Pentagon said Thursday's strike, which according to a Syrian war monitoring group killed 22 militia members, was in response for a series of rocket attacks targeting US soldiers in Iraq.
One of those strikes, on a military complex in the Kurdish regional capital Arbil on February 15, killed a civilian and a foreign contractor working with coalition forces, and wounded several US contractors and a soldier.
Psaki said the decision behind the strike was "deliberative" and that Biden's aim was for "deescalating activity in both Syria and Iraq."
Addressing criticism from some in Congress that Biden should have sought legislators' authority before ordering the strike, Psaki said "there was a thorough legal process and review in advance."
US airstrike in Syria sent ‘unambiguous message’: White House
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US airstrike in Syria sent ‘unambiguous message’: White House
- The Pentagon said Thursday's strike was in response for a series of rocket attacks targeting US soldiers in Iraq
- Psaki said Biden's aim was for "deescalating activity in both Syria and Iraq"
Iran security chief says US, Israel seeking ‘disintegration of Iran’
- “Their issue was... the fundamental disintegration of Iran,” said Larijani
- He said the US was seeking to replicate in Iran a scenario similar to Venezuela
TEHRAN: Iran’s security chief Ali Larijani said on Saturday that the United States and Israel were seeking to break the Islamic republic apart.
“Their issue was... the fundamental disintegration of Iran,” said Larijani in a pre-recorded interview broadcast on state TV.
On February 28, the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran that killed its supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and triggered a war in the Middle East.
Iran responded with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel as well as US interests across the region.
He said the US was seeking to replicate in Iran a scenario similar to Venezuela, where interim president Delcy Rodriguez has cooperated with him under threat of violence after Washington ousted her boss, Nicolas Maduro.
“I think the most important problem the Americans have is that they do not understand the context of West Asia, especially Iran,” said Larijani.
“Their perception was that it would be like Venezuela — they would strike, take control, and it would be over --but now they are trapped.”
