U.S. Launches Military Airstrikes Against Iranian-Backed Militants In Syria

Shattered glass is pictured on the floor following a rocket attack in Arbil, the capital of the northern Iraqi Kurdish autonomous region, on February 15, 2021.

Safin Hamed / AFP via Getty Images

Updated at 10:26 p.m. ET

The U.S. launched airstrikes in Syria on Thursday targeting Iranian-backed militia groups in the first known offensive military operation carried out by the Biden administration.

The Department of Defense said the strikes are a response to recent rocket attacks against Americans in Iraq, including one in which a civilian contractor working with American forces was killed and several U.S. service members were injured. Officials believe the Feb. 15 attack in Erbil, Iraq, was conducted by Shia militants.