Two F-15E from the 90th Fighter Squadron, Elmedorf AFB, Alaska, fire a pair of AIM-7M’s during a training mission. Two F-15E engaged an airstrike on Iranian-backed military facilities in Syria on Feb. 25, 2021. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Major Gary)
By Gary Raynaldo DIPLOMATIC TIMES
Just into office as President of the United States a little over a month, Joe Biden flexed the administration’s military muscle with a surprise airstrike on Iranian-backed militia facilities in Syria. The Pentagon said the U.S. conducted retaliatory airstrikes February 25 at an Iranian-backed militia in Syria that launched rocket attacks against American bases in Iraq earlier in the month. It was the first known military offensive undertaken by the Biden administration since assuming office. Some Democrats in Congress criticized the Biden administration’s airstrike in Syria accusing the President of authorizing military action without consulting the legislative body. The U.S. military airstrike over eastern Syria involved two F-15E Strike Eagles that dropped seven, precision-guided munitions, “which totally destroyed nine facilities and partially destroyed two others, functionally destroying them,” Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby said. “The strike was authorized in response to recent attacks against American and coalition personnel in Iraq and to ongoing threats to those personnel,” he added. President Biden defended the attack claiming he was using his authority to deter attacks on U.S. and allied personnel in Iraq. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., has requested a briefing from the Biden administration on the decision-making behind the airstrikes.
Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby / (U.S. DOD photo)
“As we made clear last night and, I think, through President Biden’s order, he made clear that the United States will act to protect American and coalition personnel and our security interests in the region. “These targets were chosen carefully, very deliberately. “This really was a defensive strike meant to help protect … American forces and coalition partner,” Kirby said.
According to the Pentagon press spokesman, the purpose for striking those targets was twofold: to clearly try to make an impact on the groups and their ability to conduct future attacks and to send a clear signal that the United States is going to protect its people and its interests and those of its partners in the region.
The F-15E Strike Eagle is a dual-role fighter designed to perform air-to-air and air-to-ground missions with an array of avionics and electronics systems gives the F-15E the capability to fight at low altitudes day or night and in all weather, according to the Air Force.
