UN to hold emergency meeting Monday on US strikes in Iraq, Syria: Sources

The UN Security Council will hold an emergency meeting Monday afternoon on the US strikes in Iraq and Syria, which it launched in retaliation for the death of three American soldiers, diplomatic sources said.

The meeting, requested by permanent member Russia, will take place at 4:00 pm (2100 GMT) on Monday, diplomatic sources said, and would discuss the attacks launched by Washington against Iran-backed groups it has accused of attacking US troops in the region.

The US military on Friday carried out the first of what American officials have said will be a “multi-tiered” response to attacks by Iran’s Quds Force and militias it backs in the Middle East, US defense officials said.

The United States Central Command said its forces conducted airstrikes in Iraq and Syria against Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps-Quds Force (IRGC-QF) and affiliated militia groups.

“US military forces struck more than 85 targets, with numerous aircraft to include long-range bombers flown from United States. The airstrikes employed more than 125 precision munitions,” CENTCOM said in a statement.