The U.S. Military officially began its retaliatory strikes against Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Iranian-backed terrorist groups in the Middle East later on Friday, according to a statement from U.S. Central Command.
The strikes come after the Biden administration has repeatedly telegraphed its plans to Iran over the last several days, including general details about when the strikes would likely start, where they would occur, and what they would target.
“At 4:00 p.m. (EST) Feb. 02, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces conducted airstrikes in Iraq and Syria against Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Quds Force and affiliated militia groups,” CENTCOM said in statement. “U.S. military forces struck more than 85 targets, with numerous aircraft to include long-range bombers flown from United States.”
“The airstrikes employed more than 125 precision munitions,” the statement continued. “The facilities that were struck 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 U.S. and Coalition forces.”
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The strikes came in response to Iranian-backed terrorists killing three U.S. soldiers in a suicide drone attack last weekend that resulted in approximately three dozen additional troops being injured.
Rep. Mike Waltz (R-FL), chairman of the Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness, said in a statement: “I will be very interested to receive briefings on whether the telegraphing of these strikes over the past week by the Admin has allowed targets to escape or harden themselves.”
“It’s a huge expenditure of precision munitions from increasingly depleted stockpiles that are needed in the Indo-Pacific,” he added. “All [because] of a failed Iran policy.”
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