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The United States launched on January 24 strikes against three facilities used by Kataib Hezbollah (KH) and other Iranian-backed groups in Iraq.
The strikes targeted “headquarters, storage, and training locations for rocket, missile, and one-way attack UAV [unmanned aerial vehicles capabilities” of Kataib Hezbollah, according to a statement by the U.S. Central Command.
The command said that the strikes were carried out in response to the January 20 missile attack on al-Asad Air Base in western Iraq, which wounded four U.S. troops.
A U.S. defense official told CNN that the strikes were carried out in two sites in western Iraq, including al-Qa’im town near the border with Syria, as well as Jurf al-Sakhar south of the capital, Baghdad. This was confirmed by reports from Iraqi media.
In a statement released by the Pentagon, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said that the strikes were “in direct response to a series of escalatory attacks against US and coalition personnel in Iraq and Syria” by Iranian-backed forces.
“I am grateful for both the skill and professionalism with which our personnel planned and conducted these strikes and the continued efforts of our troops on the ground as they work with regional partners to further dismantle and degrade ISIS,” Austin said.
“The President and I will not hesitate to take necessary action to defend them and our interests. We do not seek to escalate conflict in the region. We are fully prepared to take further measures to protect our people and our facilities. We call on these groups and their Iranian sponsors to immediately cease these attacks,” he added.
At least one Kataib Hezbollah fighter was killed and two were wounded in the US airstrikes, according to a statement from the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) operation command.
Jafar al-Hussaini, the military spokesman for Kataib Hezbollah, wrote on the X social platform, previously known as Twitter, that the group will “continue to strike the strongholds of the enemies, in support of our people in Gaza until the brutal killing machine backed by America stops, and the complete siege is lifted. This is the promise of the free people.”
Kataib Hezbollah is a faction of the PMF, which is officially recognized by the Iraqi government. However, it is also thought to be a part of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq (IRI), an umbrella group that surfaced after the outbreak of the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip and began launching attacks against U.S. forces in Iraq and neighboring Syria.
The Iraqi government has strongly condemned the strikes. A spokesperson for Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said they “blatantly” violated his country’s sovereignty.
US forces in Iraq and Syria have come under attack at least 151 times since attacks began on October 17 -ten days after the start of the war in Gaza-, according to U.S. officials. The IRI claimed responsibility for most of the attack, including the last missile strike on al-Asad Air Base.
The last U.S. strikes will not likely deter Iranian-backed forces. In fact, they will likely lead to more escalation in Iraq and beyond. After previous strikes, the IRI escalated attacks not only on U.S. forces, but also on Israel territory, using suicide drones as well as ballistic and cruise missiles.
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