US launches airstrikes against Iranian-backed militias

The United States has launched a series of airstrikes against Iranian-backed militias in Syria and Iraq. The attacks were in retaliation for a drone attack by an Iranian-backed group that killed three American soldiers in Jordan on Thursday. US Central Command said it had struck 85 targets in seven locations.

Also on the programme: UN aid agencies say they fear that fighting in Gaza could spread to Rafah, the strip’s southernmost city where more than a million people have fled; and African music is given its own award at the Grammys/

Joining Paul Henley to discuss all this and more are Joana Cook, Assistant Professor of Terrorism and Political Violence at the Institute of Security and Global Affairs at Leiden University, and British author and journalist David Patrikarakos.

(Picture: A plane takes off from an unidentified location, as the U.S. launches airstrikes on targets linked to Iran's IRGC February 2, 2024 Credit: US Central Command via X/Handout via REUTERS)