The US military said that it has carried out “proportionate” airstrikes against Iranian-backed insurgents in Iraq in retaliation for recent attacks on US outposts in the region.
The most recent airstrikes in Iraq, targeting Kataib Hezbollah and linked militia organisations, began shortly after midnight local time on Wednesday, according to a statement from the US Central Command (CENTCOM). The strikes targeted Kataib Hezbollah’s headquarters in Iraq, as well as storage and training sites, with the goal of reducing the group’s ability to launch drone and missile attacks.
Today, at President Biden’s direction, US military forces conducted necessary and proportionate strikes on three facilities used by the Iranian-backed Kataib Hezbollah militia group and other Iran-affiliated groups in Iraq,” US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said in a statement. “These precision strikes are in direct response to a series of escalatory attacks against US and coalition personnel in Iraq and Syria by Iranian-sponsored militias.”
Iranian-backed organisations in Iraq and Yemen have launched dozens of strikes on US personnel in the region since the Israel-Hamas conflict began in October. The latest of these strikes, which the Pentagon described as the largest since the fight began, occurred on Saturday when rockets and missiles were launched at a US air base in western Iraq, hurting many American troops. The Pentagon reported that one Iraqi soldier stationed at the base was severely injured.
Austin stated that he and Biden will not hesitate to “take the necessary action” to defend US forces and friends in the region. “We do not intend to intensify the regional war. We are completely prepared to take further precautions to secure our employees and facilities. We call upon these goups and their Iranian sponsors to immediately cease these attacks.”
