IRIA News

The United States military forces carried out strikes in Iraq, targeting facilities that they claimed were linked to the Iranian-backed militia group, Kataib Hezbollah, and other Iran-affiliated groups. The attacks were launched in reaction to a series of attacks against American forces in Iraq and Syria.

According to the United States Department of Defense, at least three facilities were targeted during the strikes. “These precision strikes are in direct response to a series of escalatory attacks against U.S. and coalition personnel in Iraq and Syria by Iranian-sponsored militias,” U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement following the attacks.

Austin stressed that he and U.S. President Joe Biden “will not hesitate to take necessary action” to defend American interests. “We do not seek to escalate 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,” he said.

Since the start of the Israel-Gaza war in October, Iran-aligned militants have targeted U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria approximately 150 times. This has placed President Joe Biden under pressure to consider a military response, notwithstanding the political sensitivities in Baghdad.

The attacks against the United States are seen as retaliation for its support of Israel in its war against Iran-backed Palestinian militant group Hamas. The war in Gaza has been spreading, with the U.S. forces hitting Houthi targets who have launched attacks on ships in the Red Sea.

Following strikes in Iraq, the U.S. and UK conducted a fresh round of airstrikes against Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen on Monday night. The U.S. Central Command said that it hit two Houthi anti-ship missiles later on January 24 in the ninth U.S. strikes in Yemen in two weeks.

U.S. Central Command released a statement saying U.S. forces “conducted unilateral airstrikes” targeting Kataib Hezbollah’s “headquarters, storage, and training locations for rocket, missile” and drone capabilities. In Iraq, a medical source and a militant source said the U.S. strikes killed at least two militants and that four other people were wounded.

Kataib Hezbollah (KH) military spokesperson Jaafar al-Husseini said in a social port that the group would continue to target “enemy bases” until the end of the Israeli siege in Gaza and singled out U.S. support for Israel’s campaign.

Iraq moves to evict US forces

The Iraqi administration blamed the U.S. and militia groups for the deteriorating security situation in the country. Baghdad is actively pushing for the complete withdrawal of U.S. forces from the country. This stance was announced by the office of Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani following a recent U.S. drone strike in Baghdad. The government strongly condemned the strike, while the Pentagon downplayed concerns by stating that the targeted militia leader was responsible for recent attacks on U.S. personnel.

Sudani’s administration faces challenges in exerting full control over certain Iran-backed factions. These factions, whose support was crucial for Sudani to secure power a year ago, now constitute a potent bloc within his governing coalition.

The Pentagon has said that so far, there are no plans to end the presence of U.S. troops in Iraq, and says its troops are deployed to Iraq at the invitation of the government in Baghdad. The United States has around 900 troops in Syria and 2,500 in Iraq.

Pushback against Houthis – US and UK launch fresh strikes in Yemen

In another spillover from Israel’s relentless war in Gaza, the United States and Britain carried out large-scale military strikes on eight sites on eight Houthi targets in Iranian-backed Houthi terrorist-controlled areas of Yemen on January 22, 2024. Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said the U.S. and UK strikes were conducted with support from partners including Australia, Bahrain, Canada, and the Netherlands.

Tomahawk missiles were fired from the U.S. warships as well as F-18 fighter jets from the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier during the strikes, according to reports.

The strikes came “in response to the Iranian regime-backed Houthi’s continued attacks against international and commercial shipping as well as naval vessels transiting the Red Sea,” Ryder said during a press briefing. “The strikes were precise, proportionate, and intended to further disrupt and degrade the capabilities the Houthis have been using to threaten global trade and the lives of innocent mariners.” 

The latest strikes marked the eighth time the U.S. had conducted strikes on Houthi targets recently. The Houthis say they are targeting Israel and its Western allies in the Red Sea to show their support for the Palestinians. and in response to Israel’s war in Gaza.