On Tuesday, the United States executed airstrikes in Iraq targeting structures allegedly linked to Iranian-backed Kataib Hezbollah and affiliated militant groups. This was confirmed by officials. U.S. Central Command said that the strikes in the early morning hours focused on approximately three facilities that were being used by the Kataib Hezbollah Shia militia group and affiliated groups in Iraq. Its key leader, Ahmad al-Hamidawi, was named a “Specially Designated Global Terrorist” in February 2020. The military spokesman for Kataib Hezbollah said that the group “will continue to strike the enemy strongholds in support of our people in Gaza until the brutal, American-backed killing machine stops, and the siege is completely lifted.”
The airstrikes were in response to repeated attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria, including a recent attack on al-Asad Airbase in western Iraq, where four U.S. personnel suffered traumatic brain injuries. The attack had also led to at least one Iraqi service member being wounded. These strikes were described as necessary and proportionate by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. He stated that “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 and we are fully prepared to take further measures to protect our people and our facilities.”
One day before these airstrikes, the U.S. and the United Kingdom also carried out another round of coordinated retaliatory strikes on targets in Yemen controlled by the Tehran-backed Houthi rebels. These retaliatory strikes were in response to “continued illegal and reckless Houthi attacks against vessels transiting the Red Sea and surrounding waterways.”