US forces have attacked more than 80 targets in Iraq and Syria in a wide-ranging air assault on sites belonging to Iran-linked militias and Tehran’s Revolutionary Guard.
At least 18 pro-Iran fighters were killed, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor reported.The US president, Joe Biden, said Friday’s strikes were launched in retaliation for the drone attack that killed three US troops in Jordan and that “if you harm an American, we will respond”.The US military’s Central Command said it struck with more than 125 bombs in an attack that took place around midnight local time in what was described as the first of multiple attacks against the groups.For a summary of those developments, see our previous post below.Meanwhile, deadly attacks were reported early on Saturday in the overcrowded Gaza border town of Rafah as international mediators readied a new push to seal a reportedly tentative truce deal between Israel and Hamas.Powerful explosions were heard in Rafah shortly after midnight, with the Hamas-run health ministry later reporting 14 people killed in two strikes in the town, which the UN called “a pressure cooker of despair”.The ministry said more than 100 people in total were killed across the Gaza overnight.More on those stories here shortly. And here’s our full report on the US airstrikes in Syria and Iraq.
