US under pressure to terminate coalition with Iraq after American drone kills Iran-backed militia commander

Tensions in the Middle East flared further last night after the US killing of an Iranian-backed militia commander in Iraq.

Dramatic footage showed the burning wreckage of the car Wissam Mohammed ‘Abu Bakr’ al-Saadi was driving when it was hit by a US drone.

The commander of Kataib Hezbollah’s operations in Syria was killed along with two other members of the group in the Iraqi capital Baghdad.

Washington ordered the attack in retaliation for attacks on US forces in the region, but Iraqi authorities condemned the “blatant killing” in a residential area.

Crowds were seen surrounding the vehicle after the attack on Wednesday evening, as local officials warned that the attacks could mean an end to the US-led coalition in the country.

Screengrab shows the burning wreckage of Wissam Mohammed ‘Abu Bakr’ al-Saadi’s car

Yehia Rasool, a spokesperson for the Iraqi prime minister, said: “The international coalition completely exceeds the reasons and objectives for which it is present on our territory.”

He added: “This trajectory forces the Iraqi government more than ever to end the mission of this coalition, which has become a factor of instability and threatens to entrap Iraq in the cycle of conflict.”

Angry crowds chanted “Death to America,” “America is the biggest devil” and “America, get out of our country” in Baghdad as they faced dozens of riot police.

“America must be investigated for violating international law,” one protester told Sky News.

“How are they able to attack another country and kill people with impunity?”

The US attack immediately led to angry demands for retaliation from other pro-Iranian militant groups, which form the so-called Axis of Resistance in Iraq.

Paramilitary organization Harakat Hezbollah al Nujaba warned: “This will not be the last (attack) if there is no strict and strong official response from the Iraqi government.”

The US has about 2,500 troops in Iraq and 900 in neighboring Syria in a mission to prevent a resurgence of Islamic State.

An American-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 to remove Saddam Hussein set off a spiral of violence and disorder that continues to this day.

In this photo, civil defense members gather at the site of the burned-out vehicle targeted by a US drone strike in eastern Baghdad

Pictured is an MQ-9 Reaper firing a Hellfire missile. The commander was killed in a drone strike

It came as Israeli forces bombed the southern Gaza town of Rafah yesterday, ahead of a planned ground offensive.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to move troops after rejecting a peace deal offered by Hamas on Wednesday.

Israeli officials have said they cannot end the war until Hamas’s infrastructure for smuggling weapons across the border is dismantled, with Rafah as a key checkpoint.

Michael Milshtein, former head of Palestinian affairs for Israel’s military intelligence, told The Wall Street Journal: “If Rafah remains an open gateway between the world and Gaza, it means Hamas will immediately begin rebuilding its military capabilities.”

However, Rafah is filled with more than a million refugees and the crossing is also a key route for aid, meaning any attack risks worsening the humanitarian crisis.

Egypt has warned it will end a decades-long truce with Israel if Palestinians try to flee across the border.

But despite the unrest, there were positive signs yesterday as peace negotiations resumed in Cairo.

Hamas indicated it still hopes to discuss a ceasefire, despite the initial offer being rejected as “outlandish” by Netanyahu.