President says ‘If you harm an American, we will respond’ as US forces strike in what is expected to be first of multiple attacks
US airstrikes in Iraq and Syria – live updates
Joe Biden has warned “if you harm an American, we will respond” as US forces attacked more than 80 targets in Iraq and Syria in a wide-ranging air assault on sites belonging to Iran-linked militias and Tehran’s Revolutionary Guard.
The US president said in a statement that the strikes had been launched in retaliation for the drone strike that killed three US troops in Jordan, adding: “Our response began today. It will continue at times and places of our choosing.”