US fighter jets struck two locations in Iraq early on Wednesday, resulting in the death of five fighters affiliated with the Hezbollah Brigades (Iraq). This was in retaliation for recurrent attacks on US troops by Iran-backed groups.
US fighter jets struck two targets in Iraq early on Wednesday killing five pro-Iran fighters in retaliation for repeated attacks on US troops in Iraq by Iran-backed groups, US and Iraqi sources said.
An Iraqi security force official said Wednesday’s strikes killed fighters of the Hezbollah Brigades, a pro-Iran group within Iraq’s Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilisation) force.
Wednesday’s attacks were carried out by US fighter aircraft on two facilities south of Baghdad, a Pentagon source said on condition of anonymity.
Hours earlier, a warplane struck the vehicle of Iranian-backed fighters after they had fired a short-range ballistic missile at US and allied personnel, the Pentagon said.
It was the first time the United States had announced a strike on Iran-backed forces in Iraq since they launched a flurry of attacks against US targets in response to Washington’s support for Israel in its war to destroy Hamas.
Washington has targeted Iran-backed groups in neighboring Syria, however, carrying out strikes on three occasions in recent weeks.
Since the Gaza war erupted with a deadly Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, US forces deployed in Iraq and Syria have been attacked at least 66 times, most recently on Monday night, according to Pentagon officials.
Katrine Dige Houmøller, with AFP
