White House security officials briefed President Donald Trump at his club at Mar-a-Lago on the recent airstrikes on Iran-backed militia in Iraq and Syria.
The Department of Defense launched airstrikes against five targets in Iraq after a rocket attack on Friday killed an American contractor and wounded several American troops.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Mike Miley briefed reporters at the club after meeting with the president.
“Today what we did is take a decisive response that makes clear what President Trump has said for months and months and months, which is that we will not stand for the Islamic Republic of Iran to take actions that put American men and women in jeopardy,” Pompeo said during his remarks.
Esper said that targets were either command and control facilities or weapons caches — three targets in Iraq and two targets in Syria.
“The strikes were successful. The pilots and aircraft returned back to base safely,” he confirmed.
Esper said that the United States was prepared to launch additional attacks against other targets in the region if necessary.
“I would note also that we will take additional actions as necessary to ensure that we act in our own self-defense and we deter further bad behavior from militia groups or from Iran,” he said.
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