U.S. strikes in Syria and Iraq kill dozens of militants

U.S. strikes against Iran-linked militants in Iraq and Syria killed dozens of fighters and several civilians, according to the Iraqi government, militia groups and a local monitoring network on Saturday, in the Biden administration’s first round of retaliatory action for an attack last week in Jordan that killed three U.S. troops.

Friday’s airstrikes were a show of force but appeared calibrated to head off a wider escalation, targeting Iran’s network of proxies but doing little if any direct damage to Tehran’s assets in the region.

“It looks like a very significant action by the Biden administration, but on the other hand I don’t think it’s going to be anywhere near sufficient to deter these groups,” said Charles Lister, director of the Middle East Institute’s Syria program.

“These militias have been engaged in this campaign for more than 20 years, they are in a long-term struggle,” he said. “They are ultimately engaged in an attritional campaign against the U.S.”

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