US forces carry out strikes in Iraq targeting sites used by Iran-backed militants. Two people were killed and two were wounded in the Jurf al-Sakhr area and the Al-Qaim region, according to Iraqi sources. The US strikes targeted Ketaeb Hezbollah and were confirmed as “necessary and proportionate” according to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.
US and allied forces in Iraq and Syria have been targeted in more than 150 attacks since mid-October. Ketaeb Hezbollah, classified as a terrorist group, has publicly supported the Islamic Resistance in Iraq. These attacks have been claimed by the “Islamic Resistance in Iraq” and have been in retaliation to the US support for Israel in the Gaza conflict.
On Tuesday, several drones targeted an airbase in Iraq hosting US troops, causing injuries and damage. This comes after another attack on the base on Saturday using at least a dozen missiles, which was described as “very serious” by White House Deputy National Security Advisor Jon Finer. Despite the surge in violence, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohamed Shia al-Sudani is calling for the international coalition to leave the country, and there are roughly 2,500 American troops in Iraq and some 900 in Syria.
