President Biden said Friday that Thursday night's airstrike against facilities tied to an Iranian-backed militia group in Syria was meant to warn Iran that it "can't act with impunity."

Driving the news: The Pentagon said the airstrike, which was authorized by Biden, was carried out "in response to recent attacks against American and Coalition personnel in Iraq" and was intended to "de-escalate the overall situation in both eastern Syria and Iraq."

What he's saying: When asked by a reporter what message he wanted to send to Iran with his administration's first overt military action, Biden said, “You can’t act with impunity. Be careful.”

The big picture: Earlier on Friday, some Democrats criticized the Biden administration for the strike and demanded a briefing.

• A National Security Council spokesperson said the Pentagon pre-notified Congress and that the administration is continuing to brief the Hill at the member and staff level.

Go deeper: U.S. strikes Iran-backed militia facilities in Syria