The Pentagon announced Sunday it had conducted targeted airstrikes against "facilities used by Iran-backed militia groups" on the Syria-Iraq border, which it said were authorized by President Joe Biden following ongoing attacks on US interests. "At President Biden's direction, US military forces earlier this evening conducted defensive precision airstrikes against facilities used by Iran-backed militia groups in the Iraq-Syria border region," Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said in a statement, adding that the strikes follow "attacks by Iran-backed groups targeting US interests in Iraq." bfm/to