The US has ordered a series of reprisal strikes to be launched over more than one day against an Iranian-backed militia, the US defence secretary, Lloyd Austin, has said.
Austin said all drones in the region attacking the US were of Iranian origin. The retaliatory strikes are expected to hit militia in Syria and possibly Iraq, though Austin did not specify the timing or precise location.
“We will have a multi-tier response and we have the ability to respond a number of times depending on the situation,” he said at a Pentagon press conference on Thursday. “We look to hold the people responsible for this accountable and we also seek to take away capability as we go forward.”
Austin insisted that a lot of thought in Washington had gone into ensuring that the US response did not trigger a major escalation.
Bloke in the thumbnail looks like he’d really fuckin rock a beard, but has mysteriously decided to deprive the world of that gloriousness