retaliatory strikes in the middle east in response to that deadly attack that killed three american service members on sunday in georgia near the syrian and iraq border. the u.s. central command, the u.s. military that s responsible for the middle east, says tonight that at four pm eastern, local time, the u.s. forces conducted airstrikes in iraq and syria against iran s islamic revolutionary guard corps and militia groups. the central command tells us that the u.s. bombers, like the one you see right here, struck more than 85 targets with more than 125 precise munitions. central command also tells us that the targets struck include command and control centers, intelligence centers, centers for rockets, missiles, and drones, and supply chain facilities where militia groups and their revolutionary guard corps sponsors. earlier tonight, nbc news briefed on this strike by president biden s national security council. here s what they told us. we don t want to see a single more
good afternoon, it is saturday, february the 3rd. i am ali velshi. we continue to follow the situation in the middle east where the israel and gaza war continues its steady creep outward, threatening to explode into a widespread regional conflict or worse at any moment. within the last hour, u.s. central command announced a round of strikes, targeting six houthi anti ship cruise missiles preparing to launch among ships in the red sea. this is the latest in the series of strikes that the united states has conducted against the houthi forces who have been targeting vessels, commercial and military, that are sailing among the red sea toward or from the to the crossing in egypt. it is related, but separate from the campaign against iranian-backed proxy forces which are operating in the region, and there are iranian antlers operating alongside them. that started on friday. the biden says that friday strikes against these groups on u.s. troops in the region since the october 7t
we will never forget the sacrifice to the country. she lost herlife for our country. our daughter is a hero. cbs news starts now. good evening and thank you for being with us on this busy friday night. we want to begin with the breaking news. the united states beginning a series of retaliatory air strikes on sites. they have clear irrefutable evidence that it is related to the attacks in jordan. the strikes were successful but the damage assessment will be done when the sun rises in the region. this is just the beginning. the response will continue. here is what we know. three of the locations hit are in iraq. four are in syria and there were dozens of individual targets within each site. those planes are now out of harm s way. it comes on the same day president biden and jill biden were at dover air force base in delaware for the dignified transfer of the remains of those fallen service members. we were the first journalists and saw the work being done firsthand to
cbs evening news starts now. major garrett in for norah, who as you saw is on assignment. tonight, we are surveying the deteriorating situation in the middle east, from the red sea to gaza to iran. this as the bodies of three soldiers killed in jordan to the united states. way back- first, israeli special forces disguised as medical workers and civilians storm a hospital in the west bank and kill three suspected militants. and negotiations continue for a cease-fire in the israel-hamas war, and the release of the remaining hostages being held by hamas in gaza. plus, cbs news is over the red sea, with the u.s. navy as it protects american interests in the region, including from attacks by iranian-backed houthi militia. norah is on board a surveillance plane with the commander of u.s. fifth fleet command as they gather intelligence. but we begin tonight with president biden saying he has decided on the u.s. response to the drone attack that killed three u.s. service member
centers, weapons storage sites, and supply chain facilities. sites two u.s. officials tell nbc news are directly linked to the drone attack in jordan. this will also not be a one-day affair. the u.s. says the response will be phased in a campaign that could last for weeks. quote, this is the start of these actions. they will unfold at times and places of our choosing, said secretary of defense austin in a statement. the question now is not only, how does iran respond, but how do our allies react? the president and his administration have said they don t want a war with iran and they adopt want to be dragged into a broader middle east conflict. iran was already angry about last week with a spokesperson for the iraqi prime minister calling it a violation of sovereignty that undermines years of cooperation. what do the iraqis say now? and why does the u.s. still have such a large presence there in the first place? we should also note the timing. these strikes were launched les