According to the US, its forces have attacked three locations in Iraq that are utilized by a militia with Iranian support.
According to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, the “proportionate” strikes went after “Kataib Hezbollah militia group and other Iran-affiliated groups.”
According to him, the precision strikes were carried out “in direct response” to attacks in Syria and Iraq against US and coalition allies.
The previous week, a missile attack on an airbase in western Iraq resulted in several injuries to US military personnel.
They were “undergoing evaluation for traumatic brain injuries,” according to officials.
At the time, the US military’s Central Command (CentCom) reported that ballistic missiles and rockets were fired at the US military’s Al Asad airbase by a militia supported by Iran.
The attackers of that attack were identified as the Islamic Resistance in Iraq.
The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, a US-based organization, claims that the group was formed in late 2023 and is made up of multiple armed organizations with ties to Iran that are active in Iraq. In recent weeks, it has claimed more attacks against US forces.
In a statement, Mr. Austin commended the US military for their “professionalism” in organizing and carrying out the most recent strikes in Iraq as a means “of further dismantling and degrading ISIS [the Islamic State group].”
Mr. Austin emphasized that in order to protect American interests, he and US President Joe Biden “will not hesitate to take necessary action.”
“We don’t want the conflict in the area to get worse. We are ready to take additional steps to safeguard our personnel and infrastructure. We demand that these organizations immediately stop their attacks, as well as their Iranian backers,” he declared.
CentCom said in a different statement that the strikes were launched at 00:15 local time (21:15 GMT on Tuesday) in reaction to the attack on Al Asad, among other things.
“Kataib Hezbollah’s headquarters, storage, and training locations for rocket, missile, and one-way attack UAV capabilities were the targets of these strikes,” CentCom stated.
The locations of the targeted militia facilities in Iraq were not disclosed by the US military.
The assault on the Al Asad airbase on Saturday came after a US drone strike in Baghdad earlier this month that claimed the life of a militia leader who supported Iran.
Since the beginning of the Israel-Gaza war in October, militants with ties to Iran have launched numerous attacks against US troops in Syria and Iraq.
The UK and other allies of the US military have also stepped in to halt Houthi missile attacks on foreign ships in the Red Sea.
The Houthis, an insurgent group supported by Iran that holds sway over most of western Yemen, have been targeted by strikes conducted by Washington and London.
US forces launched a second round of strikes on Wednesday against two Houthi anti-ship missiles “that were aimed into the southern Red Sea and were prepared to launch,” according to CentCom.
“After locating the missiles in Yemeni territory under Houthi control, US forces concluded that they posed an immediate threat to nearby merchant ships as well as US Navy vessels.” In self-defense, US forces later attacked and destroyed the missiles,” CentCom continued.
Captain: The Red Sea is “scary” for ship crews.
Over the past week, the Iranian military has launched several missile strikes against locations in Pakistan, Syria, and Iraq.
Iran charged Israel on Saturday of launching an airstrike in Damascus, Syria, that claimed the lives of five senior Iranian security personnel.