US National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson stated that the US airstrikes, which began early on Tuesday have targeted three sites used by Kataib Hezbollah, a Shia armed group, and its associates.
According to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, the strikes were in response to a Kataib Hezbollah attack the day before on Erbil airbase, which injured three US servicemen, one gravely.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin tweeted, “Today, at @POTUS’ direction, U.S. military forces conducted necessary & proportionate strikes on 3 facilities used by Kataib Hezbollah & affiliated groups in Iraq. These precision strikes are a response to a series of attacks against U.S. personnel in Iraq & Syria by Iranian-sponsored militias, including an attack by Iran-affiliated Kataib Hezbollah and affiliated groups on Erbil Air Base earlier today”, through his official ‘X’ handle.
Today, at @POTUS’ direction, U.S. military forces conducted necessary & proportionate strikes on 3 facilities used by Kataib Hezbollah & affiliated groups in Iraq. These precision strikes are a response to a series of attacks against U.S. personnel in Iraq & Syria by…
— Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III (@SecDef) December 26, 2023
The Iraqi government has criticized US air strikes on its soil as hostile acts after the Pentagon said it bombed installations used by pro-Iran militias to target US personnel.
The government in Baghdad said on Tuesday that the US strikes killed one member of the Iraqi security forces and injured 18 people, including civilians, and were an unacceptable attack on Iraqi sovereignty that would harm bilateral relations.
Austin stated that the strikes were necessary and proportionate to disrupt and degrade the capabilities of the Iran-aligned forces responsible for attacks against US personnel.
“While we do not seek to escalate [the] conflict in the region, we are committed and fully prepared to take further necessary measures to protect our people and our facilities”, Austin continued.
In response to dozens of airstrikes on American and allied forces in the region since the outbreak of the Israeli-Palestinian war on October 7, US forces have regularly targeted sites used by Iran and its proxy forces in Iraq and Syria.
US officials indicated on Tuesday that if US forces were targeted, they would continue to retaliate.
“The United States will act at a time and in a manner of our choosing should these attacks continue”, Watson noted.
“Let me be clear – the president and I will not hesitate to take necessary action to defend the United States, our troops, and our interests. There is no higher priority”, Austin added.
Early evaluations of the US military’s latest strikes revealed that they destroyed the targeted facilities and possibly killed several Kataib Hezbollah fighters while killing no civilians, according to the US Central Command.
The raids are the latest example of how Israel’s assault in Gaza is rippling across the Middle East, where there is considerable concern over the rising number of Palestinian deaths.
According to Palestinian officials, more than 20,674 individuals have been killed and 54,536 injured in Israeli attacks since October 7, when the Palestinian militant group Hamas launched a surprise multipronged assault on southern Israel. The fatality toll from Hamas’s attack has been revised to 1,139.
Since mid-October, the US has documented at least 103 attacks on its forces in Iraq and Syria.
Iran has not yet responded to the latest airstrikes, although it has repeatedly denied directing proxy organizations to attack US forces in the region.
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