Washington DC, US

White House national security spokesman John Kirby on Sunday (Feb 4) that the strikes which took place Friday night by the United States against Iran-backed groups were just the "first round" of action and more will follow. 

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The US military hit Tehran-backed groups in Iraq and Syria were a retaliation for a deadly attack on US troops in Jordan, which killed three US soldiers. A day after that, the US and the United Kingdom unleashed attacks on the Iran-aligned Houthis of Yemen late on Saturday in a joint action. 

While speaking during "Fox News Sunday", Kirby said that the Pentagon believes that the US had a good effect during the strikes as the troops hit what they were aiming at. 

Kirby said during the interview, "I'm certainly not going to talk about potential future military operations. What I would say, and this is a really important point is what you saw on Friday night was just the first round. There will be additional response actions taken by the Administration against the IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) and these groups that they are backing." 

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Also read: US, UK strikes on Yemen will bring ‘further turmoil’ to Middle East: Hamas 

In a separate interview with NBC News, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said the US intended to make additional strikes against Iran-backed groups in the Middle East. 

"We intend to take additional strikes, and additional action, to continue to send a clear message that the United States will respond when our forces are attacked when our people are killed," Sullivan told NBC's "Meet the Press" programme on Sunday. 

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The recent Middle East crisis began with the Israel-Hamas war, but the conflict spread to another region with the strikes being the latest blows. The Israel-Hamas war started on October 7, when the militant group Hamas stormed Israel from the Gaza Strip. 

Watch: Can Britain afford a third world war?

Also read: Israel-Hamas war: Half of adults in US say Israel’s campaign in Gaza has gone ‘too far’ 

Iran issues a warning 

Iran on Sunday issued a warning to the US over potentially targeting two cargo ships in the Mideast long suspected of serving as forwarding operating base for Iranian commandos. 

The Yemen strikes overnight Sunday struck across six provinces of Yemen held by the Houthi rebels, including in Sanaa, the capital. The Houthis did not provide an assessment of the damage, but the US said it targeted underground missile arsenals, launch locations, and rebel helicopters. 

As quoted in a report by The Associated Press, Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree said, "These attacks will not discourage Yemeni forces and the nation from maintaining their support for Palestinians in the face of the Zionist occupation and crimes. The aggressors’ airstrikes will not go unanswered." 

Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing developments on the Israel-Palestine conflict after the Hamas attacks. However, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.

(With inputs from agencies)