- The attack was in retaliation for ballistic missiles fired at Al-Asad air base on Saturday that left four US personnel with traumatic brain injuries, officials said.
- Pentagon officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the attacks targeted multiple locations
- There have been more than 150 rocket and drone attacks on US bases in Iraq and Syria since the outbreak of the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza
The US launched airstrikes on Iranian-backed terrorists in Iraq on Tuesday.
The bombs hit three locations used by the Kataib Hezbollah militia group and other Iranian-backed jihadists, according to the Pentagon.
The attack was in retaliation for ballistic missiles fired at Al-Asad air base on Saturday, which left four US personnel with traumatic brain injuries, officials said.
It comes after the US and Britain last night bombed Houthi targets in Yemen for the second time this month.
There have been more than 150 rocket and drone attacks on US bases in Iraq and Syria since the outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza over Washington’s support for Jerusalem.
US personnel suffered minor injuries and a member of the Iraqi security forces was seriously injured in an attack on Iraq’s Ain al-Asad air base on Saturday
A photo taken on January 13, 2020 shows a member of the US Armed Forces walking past a drone at Ain al-Asad Air Base in Iraq’s western Anbar province
There are still about 2,500 U.S. troops in Iraq and 900 in Syria to suppress Islamic militants.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement: “Today, at the direction of President Biden, U.S. military forces conducted necessary and proportionate strikes against three facilities used by the Iran-backed Kataib Hezbollah militia and other Iran-affiliated groups in Iraq.
“These precision strikes are in direct response to a series of escalating attacks on US and coalition personnel in Iraq and Syria by Iranian-sponsored militias.
“I am grateful for both the skill and professionalism with which our personnel planned and executed these attacks and for the continued efforts of our troops on the ground as they work with regional partners to further dismantle and degrade ISIS.
“The President and I will not hesitate to take whatever action is necessary to defend them and our interests. We do not seek to escalate the 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.”
Iraq is deeply concerned that it will become a battleground between the United States, Israel and Iran.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani’s office announced steps to expel US troops after a US drone strike in Baghdad that the government condemned.
The Pentagon said the attack killed a militia leader responsible for recent attacks on U.S. personnel.
The Pentagon said it has not been formally notified of plans to end its presence in the country, saying its troops are being deployed to Iraq at the invitation of the government in Baghdad.
Iran last week hit Erbil, the capital of Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan region, with ballistic missiles in what it said was an attack on an Israeli spy headquarters – claims denied by Iraqi and Iraqi Kurdish officials.