Plans have been approved for retaliatory strikes over a number of days against targets in Iraq and Syria, including Iranian forces, multiple outlets reported Friday. 

For Context: The news came after days of speculation and commentary on how President Joe Biden’s administration would respond to the killing of three U.S. service members via a reportedly Iranian-made drone flown by the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a collection of militias supported by Iran. While some say Biden failed to deter attacks by Hamas and other militant groups scattered throughout the Middle East, others suggest a measured response could aid the Biden administration’s long-term strategy for stability in the Middle East. 

Key Quote: On Thursday, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told reporters the delay in the U.S. military's response was intended to “avoid a wider conflict in the region” and keep things from spiraling “out of control.” The time since the announcement of a coming attack reportedly gave some militia groups time to evacuate their bases, a senior Iraqi official told NBC News (Lean Left bias).

How the Media Covered It: CBS News (Lean Left bias) was initially cited as the first to report the confirmed plans. Coverage of the retaliation plan confirmation was found mainly in relatively nonpartisan news outlets like Reuters (Center bias). Coverage surrounding the potential retaliation was widespread; CNN (Lean Left bias), for instance, covered U.S. intelligence suggesting Iranian leadership was concerned about escalating attacks by Iranian proxy groups. Coverage from the right was often critical of Biden; The Daily Wire (Right bias) said Biden had tipped off “terrorists responsible for murdering three U.S. soldiers” by leaking information to the press. Update 2/2/24 4:01 pm ET: Added context on CBS News' reporting.