The United States has destroyed or damaged 84 of 85 targets in Iraq and Syria, officials said.No sign of Iranian casualties

CNN
—

The United States destroyed or damaged 84 of 85 targets in a series of widespread airstrikes in Syria and Iraq on Friday, two U.S. defense officials said, but there were no signs of casualties on the Iranian side.

Officials cited preliminary battlefield damage assessments and said all but one of the 85 targets suffered “destruction or functional damage.”

A full analysis of the aftermath of the airstrike is still underway, but one official said there was no indication that members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps were killed as part of the operation.

President Joe Biden told reporters traveling through Nevada on Sunday that the airstrikes were working to deter and disrupt extremist activity in the region.

In response to a drone attack in Jordan that killed three U.S. service members and injured dozens more over the weekend, the United States is targeting facilities and weapons used by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Iranian-backed militias in Iraq and Syria. targeted.

It was the first time that the United States launched airstrikes on both countries at the same time. In Iraq, the US targeted al-Qaim and Akashat near the Syrian border. And in Syria, the US struck near al-Barm, Deir Zour, and al-Mayadin. The target list included command and control centers, intelligence centers, and rocket, missile, and drone storage facilities.

In a briefing with reporters after the strike on Friday, Lt. Gen. Douglas Sims, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the targets were chosen “with the belief that there is a high probability of casualties among those within the facility.” .

The Biden administration faces criticism that it delayed too much in responding to deadly drone strikes in Jordan, giving Iranian-backed militias in Iraq and Syria time to move personnel. Sims said Friday that suitable weather conditions for the operation did not exist until Friday night.

Biden and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the attack was far larger than previous U.S. operations in Iraq and Syria and was just the beginning of the U.S. response.

National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told CNN’s Dana Bash on “State of the Union” early Sunday that the U.S. retaliation for the airstrike that killed three U.S. service members is far from over. Sullivan said Friday’s strike was “the beginning of our response, and further steps will be taken in the future.”

One defense official said there was one attack on U.S. forces since the U.S. attack on Saturday in the mission support hub of the Euphrates, also known as the Conoco oil field. Two rockets were fired at the scene, but no injuries or damage were reported.