Joe Biden directs airstrikes against Iranian-backed groups after three US troops wounded in attack

President Joe Biden directed airstrikes in Iraq after three United States service members were wounded by a one-way attack drone early Monday morning at the Erbil Air Base.

National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a statement Iranian-backed militia Kataib Hezbollah and other affiliated groups took credit for the attack on Christmas Day. One of the U.S. troops suffered critical injuries.

After Biden was briefed on the situation and injuries, he ordered the Department of Defense to arrange retaliation options. The president ultimately directed strikes against three locations used by Kataib Hezbollah and associated groups “focused specifically on unmanned aerial drone activities,” Watson said.