US troops in Iraq and Syria have been attacked by militant groups about 150 times since the Israel-Gaza war began in October, putting pressure on President Joe Biden to respond militarily, despite the political sensitivity of the situation in Baghdad.
US Army soldiers in Baghdad, Iraq. Photo: Getty
Last Saturday, four US service members suffered traumatic brain injuries after Iraq's Ain al-Asad air base was hit by multiple ballistic missiles and rockets fired by militants.
“US military forces conducted necessary and proportionate strikes on three facilities used by the Kataib Hezbollah militia group... in Iraq,” US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement.
“These precision strikes were in direct response to an escalating series of attacks against US and Coalition personnel in Iraq and Syria,” Mr Austin added.
US Central Command, which conducts operations in the Middle East, said the strikes targeted Kataib Hezbollah's headquarters, missile and drone storage and training sites.
In Iraq, a medical source and a rebel source said US airstrikes killed at least two rebels and wounded four others.
Kataib Hezbollah military spokesman Jaafar al-Husseini said in a post on X that the group would continue to target “enemy bases” until the Israeli siege of Gaza ends, and accused the US of supporting Israel's campaign.
The attacks on the US were seen as retaliation for its support for Israel in its fight against the militant group Hamas. The war in Gaza has escalated, with US forces striking Houthi targets, the rebel group that has launched attacks on ships in the Red Sea.
The US has 900 troops in Syria and 2,500 in Iraq, advising and assisting local forces to stop the rise of the Islamic State, which seized large parts of both countries in 2014 before being defeated.
Mai Anh (according to Reuters)
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