U.S. strikes have begun in Iraq and Syria

ERBIL, Iraq — Initial reports from the region suggest that the focus of tonight’s U.S. attacks have been Anbar province in Iraq and Deir ez-Zor governorate in Syria. The strikes ran along the same border that connects to Jordan and Tower 22, where three American service members were killed. They also hit areas home to the Iranian-backed militia accused of carrying out last Sunday’s deadly attack.

“This is by far the most expansive military action we’ve seen against Iran’s proxies in Syria and Iraq to date,” said Charles Lister, senior fellow at the Middle East Institute. “That makes it a significant development.”

The scale and scope of tonight’s strikes also underscore how embedded Iran has become in this region. There are many more places with ties to Iran that the U.S. could have hit but has chosen not to in this first stage. They include known Iranian facilities around Damascus and Aleppo airports, sites targeted by the Israelis last year.

While this is a substantial strike by the U.S., an escalation, it is so far also limited. The question is whether it is enough to change Iran’s long term strategy of pressuring Israel and pushing America out of the region.

“In terms of measuring how maximalist or minimalist we could have been, this sits somewhere in the middle, Lister said. “I’d count on the militias feeling relatively confident that they’ll be targeting Americans again not too long from now.”

There has been “no communication” between the U.S. and Iran since the drone strike last weekend that killed three U.S. servicemembers in Jordan, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said.

Kirby was responding to a question about whether Iran had been given advance warning of the U.S. strikes.

A number of the targets that were struck were those “that move across many different aspects of the Iranian, the Iranian aligned militia groups in Iraq and Syria,” Lt. Gen. Douglas A. Sims II said.

“And I would say I feel that we confidently struck targets that will impact their ability to conduct future strikes against Americans,” Sims said.

The U.S. attacks today occurred over the course of about 30 minutes, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said.

The aircraft used included the long-range B-1 bomber, Kirby said. More than 125 guided munitions used in the attacks, he said at a briefing with reporters.

The B-1 bombers were dispatched from the United States, Kirby said. The B-1 is a long-range bomber that the Air Force describes on its website as “the backbone of America’s long-range bomber force.”

All the U.S. aircraft traveled out of harm's way safely, he said.

Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson criticized the timing of the U.S. military strikes against Iranian-backed militia and the Biden administration for “telegraphing” a response to Iran.

“The tragic deaths of three U.S. troops in Jordan, perpetrated by Iran-backed militias, demanded a clear and forceful response. Unfortunately, the administration waited for a week and telegraphed to the world, including to Iran, the nature of our response,” Johnson, R-Louisiana said.

President Biden on Sunday said that the U.S. would retaliate and “hold all those responsible to account at a time and in a manner [of] our choosing.”

Lt. Gen. Douglas A. Sims II told reporters after the strikes in Iraq and Syria that they waited for favorable weather, and “good weather presented itself today.”

Sen. Jack Reed, a Democrat from Rhode Island and the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, called the strikes strong.

"This was a strong, proportional response. In fact, the 85 targets struck tonight mark a greater number than the prior administration," Reed said in a statement. "Iran’s proxy forces in Syria and Iraq have been dealt a significant blow, and Iranian-linked militias around the Middle East should understand that they, too, will be held accountable."

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said that the U.S.'s response to the Sunday drone attack in Jordan that killed three U.S. personnel and injured several others is not going to end today.

“These responses began tonight, but they’re not going to end tonight,” he said.

When the United States struck Iranian-backed militia targets in Iraq and Syria today, they did so knowing that there would likely be casualties, officials said.

Militants and Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps use the facilities that were struck in retaliation for a drone attack that killed three U.S. service members, Lt. Gen. Douglas A. Sims II said.

He said that the U.S. feels good about the precision of the strikes and that they were strong military targets.

The military made the strikes understanding there would likely be casualties, Sims said. A number of casualties was not immediately clear from officials.

The United States was waiting on favorable weather to hit Iran-backed militia targets in Iraq and Syria in retaliation for a drone attack that killed three U.S. service members, officials said.

“This was designed around the weather, when we had our best opportunity,” Lt. Gen. Douglas A. Sims II said.

“Good weather presented itself today. And as a result, this was take — this took place,” he said.

U.S. airstrikes targeted a weapons warehouse in Iraq as well as three houses used by an Iran-aligned militia organization, an Iraqi security official told NBC News.

The three houses in Anbar province in western Iraq were used by members of Kata’ib Hezbollah, an Iran-linked militia group that has been sanctioned by the U.S. government.

The security official spoke to NBC News on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment to the news media.

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters that U.S. military forces struck a total of seven facilities used by Iran-linked militias.

"Three of the facilities are in Iraq. Four of them are in Syria," Kirby said.

He said the Iraqi government was informed prior to the strikes.

Kirby, echoing Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, told reporters that the U.S. forces hit more than 85 targets at those facilities. U.S. Central Command said in a post on X that the facilities included command and control operations centers, intelligence centers and drone storage sites.