Iran and its terror and militia proxy groups had days to prepare and bunker down for the U.S. retaliatory strikes that began on Friday, prompting criticisms that the Biden administration took too long to act.
Three U.S. soldiers were killed and dozens more injured in an airstrike launched by the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, the nexus organization for several Iran-backed militant and terror groups, against a military base in Jordan on Sunday.
The Biden administration began its first round of retaliatory strikes against targets in Iraq and Syria on Friday – nearly a week later – which some critics feel was delayed to give Iran and its proxies time to prepare as part of a larger effort to minimize heightened conflict in the Middle East.