The United States struck more than 85 targets in Iraq and Syria late Friday night in retaliation for the ongoing attacks on American forces in the region by Iranian-backed terror groups.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Quds Force and affiliated militia groups continue to represent a direct threat to the stability of Iraq, the region, and the safety of Americans. We will continue to take action, do whatever is necessary to protect our people, and… pic.twitter.com/Y53nvRfjjx
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) February 3, 2024
At 11 pm local time, US Central Command (CENTCOM) forces carried out airstrikes in Iraq and Syria against Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Quds Force and affiliated terror groups.
US military forces struck more than 85 targets with numerous aircraft, including long-range bombers flown from United States, employing more than 125 “precision munitions,” CENTCOM said in a statement.
The targets included “command and control operations centers, intelligence centers, rockets, and missiles, and unmanned aerial vehicle storages, and logistics and munition supply chain facilities of militia groups and their IRGC sponsors who facilitated attacks against US and Coalition forces,” CENTCOM said.
Israel’s ‘Arrow’ Stops Houthi Missile Attack on Eilat
Israeli military forces launched the extra-atmospheric “Arrow” aerial defense system on Friday to stop a Houthi missile attack on Eilat.
The Arrow intercepted a surface-to-surface missile fired at Israel by the Houthi terror group, an Iranian proxy in Yemen.
In a statement issued during the day on Friday, the Houthis claimed responsibility for the attack.
There were no injuries or property damage from the attack, which was blocked over the waters of the Red Sea.
In Syria, Israeli Air Force fighter pilots meanwhile targeted the Iranian stronghold of Sayyidah Zaynab near Damascus during the wee hours of Friday morning.
The air strike was part of the ongoing effort to prevent Iranian arms from reaching Hezbollah proxy forces in Lebanon.
CENTCOM Strikes UAVs in Yemen, Over Red Sea
During the morning hours on Friday, the USS Carney (DDG 64) shot down one unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) over the Gulf of Aden. There were no injuries or damage reported.
Later in the day – around 4:40 pm local time — CENTCOM forces struck and destroyed four Houthi UAVs that were prepared to launch in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.
The defensive attack came after US forces “determined that they presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and the US Navy ships in the region.
Even later — at around 9:20 local time — the USS Laboon (DDG 58) and F/A-18s from the Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group engaged and shot down seven UAVs over the Red Sea. There were no injuries or damage reported.
“These actions will protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for US Navy vessels and merchant vessels,” CENTCOM said.
Iran-linked terror groups have attacked US forces and military bases at least 165 times since October 7, 2023, when Iran’s proxy in Gaza, Hamas, launched a war against the Jewish State, beginning with the torture and massacre in southern Israel of more than 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abduction of 253 others. Of those, 136 are still being held hostage by Hamas in Gaza.
