FILE – In this Feb. 17, 2021, file photo, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby speaks during a media briefing at
the Pentagon in Washington. A U.S. airstrike targeting facilities used by Iran-backed militias in Syria
appears to be a message to Tehran delivered by a new American administration still figuring out its
approach to the Middle East. Kirby said the operation in Boukamal, Syria, sends an unambiguous message:
“President Biden will act to protect American and coalition personnel. At the same time, we have acted
in a deliberate manner that aims to deescalate the overall situation in eastern Syria and Iraq.”