United States carried out two sets of strikes in Iraq against Iranian-backed militants, marking the first publicly reported U.S. responses to a series of recent attacks against troops in the region. The strikes come after the U.S. had been cautious about retaliation in Iraq due to the delicate political situation in the country.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, who holds limited control over Iranian-backed militias, faced challenges in responding to the attacks, given the crucial support he received from these groups to secure power a year ago. These militias now constitute a formidable bloc in his governing coalition.
The U.S. military, in a statement, revealed that the strikes on Tuesday evening targeted two facilities in Iraq, directly responding to the attacks against U.S. and Coalition forces by Iran and Iran-backed groups. The strikes, carried out by fighter aircraft, aimed at a Kataeb Hezbollah operations center and a Kataeb Hezbollah Command and Control node near Al Anbar and Jurf al Saqr, south of Baghdad.
Kataeb Hezbollah is a powerful armed faction in Iraq with close ties to Iran. While the U.S. defense official stated that there were Kataeb Hezbollah personnel present, an assessment regarding casualties is still ongoing.
Approximately 24 hours before these strikes, U.S. forces were attacked at Ain al-Asad air base west of Baghdad. In self-defense, a U.S. military AC-130 aircraft responded, resulting in casualties among Iranian-backed militants. The attack on Ain al-Asad air base involved a close-range ballistic missile, causing eight injuries and minor damage to infrastructure.
The recent escalation follows a series of 66 attacks against U.S. forces in Iraq and neighboring Syria, claimed by Iran-aligned Iraqi militia groups. Until now, the U.S. response had been limited to three separate sets of strikes in Syria. These attacks have resulted in at least 62 U.S. personnel sustaining minor injuries or traumatic brain injuries.
The origins of the attacks, dating back to October 17, have been linked by Iraqi militia groups to U.S. support for Israel during the conflict in Gaza. The attacks have effectively ended a year-long unilateral truce declared by Iraqi factions, some formed post the 2003 U.S. invasion and others in 2014 to combat the Islamic State.
Social media accounts associated with Iran-aligned Iraqi militias reported a casualty in Tuesday’s strikes, marking the first reported death in Iraq linked to the Gaza conflict. The situation underscores the complex dynamics involving regional militias, such as Lebanon’s Hezbollah, within Iran’s Axis of Resistance.
The United States maintains a military presence in Syria (900 troops) and Iraq (2,500 troops), with a mission focused on advising and assisting local forces to prevent the resurgence of the Islamic State, which had seized significant territory in both countries in 2014 before being defeated.
