Airstrikes on three facilities, including Kataib Hezbollah
“We are ready for further action… “Stop the attack.”
The United States conducted airstrikes on pro-Iranian militia facilities in Iraq.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin issued a statement on the 23rd (local time), saying, “At the direction of President Joe Biden, today we conducted airstrikes on three facilities used by the Iran-backed Kataib Hezbollah militia and other Iran-linked groups in Iraq.” He said.
Secretary Austin explained, “These surgical strikes are a direct response to a series of escalating attacks by Iranian-backed militias targeting U.S. and coalition personnel in Iraq and Syria.”
He also emphasized, “President Biden and I will not hesitate to take the necessary steps to protect our interests,” and added, “We do not seek to escalate conflict in the region.”
He added, “We are fully prepared to take additional measures to protect our citizens and facilities,” and urged, “These groups and their Iranian sponsors to stop their attacks immediately.”
According to CNN, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) also released a statement on this day, saying that the U.S. military “conducted a unilateral airstrike targeting Kataib Hezbollah headquarters, storage areas, and training sites for rocket, missile, and unidirectional attack unmanned aerial vehicle capabilities.”
A U.S. Department of Defense official said the airstrikes were carried out in two places in western Iraq, including al-Qaim near the Syrian border and Jurf al-Sakar south of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad.
Earlier, Iraq’s Al-Asad Air Base was attacked by a missile by pro-Iranian militias on the 20th, and four U.S. soldiers were injured. Most were intercepted by air defenses, but some projectiles hit, CENTCOM said.
The U.S. Department of Defense initially assessed that a ballistic missile was used in the attack and that it was carried out by Kataib Hezbollah.
The Iraqi Islamic Resistance Group, backed by Iran, also launched several attack drones loaded with explosives toward the al-Assad base on this day, and were shot down by air defense networks.
U.S. troops stationed in Iraq and Syria have been attacked more than 140 times since the war between Israel and Hamas broke out on October 7 last year.
There are about 2,500 U.S. troops stationed in Iraq and about 900 in Syria. Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani is demanding the withdrawal of the United Nations, saying that the deployment of troops must end to ensure Iraq’s security.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.