What did US bomb in Iraq, Syria? What happens next?

The United States bombed dozens of sites in Iraq and Syria which it claims were linked to Iranian-backed militias, nearly a week after a drone strike in Jordan killed three American soldiers. According to US officials, its forces targeted Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) Quds Force and allied militia groups.

The B-1 bombers hit 85 targets at seven locations in Iraq and Syria on Friday (2 February). The expected strikes came days after US warnings. More action is likely in the coming days.

What do we know about the US strikes in Iraq and Syria? Will this further escalate tensions between the US and Iran? Let’s take a closer look.

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US bombs targets in Iraq and Syria

The airstrikes that lasted 30 minutes occurred at 9:00 pm GMT (2:30 am IST), as per a statement by the US Central Command (CENTCOM).

The sites in Iraq and Syria were allegedly linked to Iran-backed militias, which the US blames for the drone attack at Tower 22, an American base in north-eastern Jordan, that killed three US service members and wounded over 40 others.

The US forces used several aircraft, including B-1 "long-range bombers”, to hit more than 85 targets, including the command and control headquarters, intelligence centers, rockets and missiles, drone and ammunition storage sites and other facilities linked to the militias or the IRGC’s Quds Force, Associated Press (AP) reported.

The US military targeted facilities used by al Hashed al Shabi, also known as the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), in Iraq's Al-Qaim city, situated in the western part of Anbar province along the country's border with Syria, as per CNN.

Iraqi army spokesman Yahya Rasool confirmed the strikes in al-Qaim and areas along Iraq-Syria border. Condemning the US strikes, he said they “constitute a violation of Iraqi sovereignty and undermine the efforts of the Iraqi government, posing a threat that will pull Iraq and the region to undesirable consequences.”

According to the mayor of Al-Qaim, Turki Al-Mahalawi, the US bombed three houses allegedly used by the PMU as weapon warehouses, reported CNN.

According to the United Kingdom-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, 18 militants were killed in the strikes in Syria where four facilities were reportedly targeted.

National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said the operation was “successful”, adding the US did not know the number of casualties or injuries, reported CNN.

Without citing evidence, he said the targets "were carefully selected to avoid civilian casualties and based on clear, irrefutable evidence that they were connected to attacks on US personnel in the region.”

What has Iran said?

Iran previously denied any role in the Tower 22 attack.

On Friday, Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi said his country will not start a war but will “respond strongly” to bullies.

“We have said many times that we will not start any war; but if an oppressive country or force wants to bully us, the Islamic Republic of Iran will respond strongly,” he said in a televised speech, as per CNN. 

"No threat will be left unanswered," Revolutionary Guards commander Major General Hossein Salami, who advises Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had said before the US attack, according to a BBC report.

Will this escalate conflict in West Asia?

The US has said for days that its response would be a “tiered response” over time. Following Friday's strikes, President Joe Biden said in a statement that the US military response “will continue at times and places of our choosing.”

“The United States does not seek conflict in the Middle East (West Asia) or anywhere else in the world. But let all those who might seek to do us harm know this: If you harm an American, we will respond,” Biden was quoted as saying by CNN. 

Republicans hit out at the Biden administration over the delay in response. The US officials justified the delay citing cloudy weather which made it tough to retaliate earlier.

Experts believe the nearly one-week delay in the US response was to allow Iran to remove personnel to deter a wider conflict.

"This would allow them to degrade the capacity of these Iranian-backed militias to attack US forces, but not escalate," Mick Mulroy, a former deputy assistant secretary of defence for the Middle East, told BBC. "Although it is likely not going to be a deterrent to future attacks."

Mulroy said it was likely that the US allowed Iranian Revolutionary Guard personnel "to leave the facilities that are going to be struck".

According to him, the ultimate benefit of this would be "to avoid a direct war" between the US and Iran.

The US has already said it would not hit targets on Iranian soil. “We don’t seek a war with Iran. We’re not looking for a wider conflict in the Middle East,” National Security Council spokesman Kirby told CNN earlier.