The U.S. airstrikes against Iran-backed militia groups in the Iraq-Syria border region were aimed to limit the risk of escalation, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Monday.
Ms. Psaki defended the airstrikes as “appropriate, necessary, and deliberate.”
“The self-defense, the defense of the United States and our interests is our domestic justification for these strikes announced yesterday,” Ms. Psaki told reporters at a press briefing.
She said the strikes targeted facilities used to carry out attacks on U.S. military assets by storing weapons, drones and housing command logistics.
“The attacks against our troops need to stop. And that is why the president ordered the operation last night in self-defense of our personnel,” Ms. Psaki added.
She said the White House notified appropriate members of Congress ahead of the strikes and remains in contact with regional allies.
President Biden late Sunday ordered the airstrike in response to a recent spate of attacks against U.S. military property in Iraq carried out by Iranian-made drones that officials say can evade detection and surveillance.
The airstrikes hit weapons storage facilities at two sites along the Syria border and one along the Iraq border, according to the Pentagon.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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