[HIGHLIGHTS] American strikes in Iraq and Syria: in the Middle East, the United States' balancing act

U.S. carried out strikes targeting elite Iranian forces and pro-Iranian groups in Iraq and Syria.

At least 16 people, including civilians, were killed in Iraq, the Iraqi government announced on Saturday. On the Syrian side, at least 23 pro- Iranian fighters have lost their lives, indicates the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (OSDH). Strikes which will only be the first, warned President Joe Biden, while several States denounce an attempt to flare up tensions in the Middle East.