On Tuesday, US National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby apologized for incorrectly telling the press that the US had notified Iraq in advance of its recent strikes on Iraqi territory.
“I deeply apologize for the error and I regret any confusion that it caused. It was based on information we had or that was provided to me in those early hours after the strikes. Turns out that information was incorrect and I certainly regret the error and I hope that you'll understand there was no ill intent behind it, no deliberate intent to deceive or to be wrong,” Kirby said at a press briefing.
In January, three US soldiers were killed in a drone strike on a US garrison on the border of Jordan and Syria. The US retaliated on February 2 by striking what it said were Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) targets in Syria and Iraq, which included 85 targets. Pentagon Press Secretary Pat Ryder explained that the US chose not to give Iraq a warning of their strikes to protect American forces in the country.
Iran has denied playing any role in the attack and has insisted that resistance groups in the Middle East do not receive instructions from Tehran.
Iraq and Syria have condemned the US strikes on their territories, and the Iraqi parliament’s Security and Defense Committee called for an agreement to withdraw the international coalition troops from the country.