WASHINGTON, Feb 2 (KUNA) -- US Defense Secretary Lloyd James Austin said that at President Biden's direction, the US military forces conducted strikes on seven facilities, which included more than 85 targets in Iraq and Syria, that Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and affiliated militias use to attack US forces, following the attack on US and Coalition Forces in northeastern Jordan this past Sunday that killed three US service members.
"This is the start of our response," Secretary Austin noted in a press release. "The President has directed additional actions to hold the IRGC and affiliated militias accountable for their attacks on US and Coalition Forces. "These will unfold at times and places of our choosing. We do not seek conflict in the Middle East or anywhere else, but the President and I will not tolerate attacks on American forces. "We will take all necessary actions to defend the United States, our forces, and our interests," he added. (pickup previous) amm.gb