Several US fighter jets They bombed two Hezbollah operations centers in Iraq In response to attacks on U.S. bases that have increased amid Israeli operations against Hamas in Gaza, two defense officials told the AP. American bases have been attacked with a short-range ballistic missile against US troops in the last few hours.
Pentagon warplanes shelled Kataib Hezbollah’s operations center and a Kataib Hezbollah command and control center near Al Anbar and Jurf al Saqr, south of Baghdad.
A American military aircraft AC-130 According to US Central Command (Centcom) on social networks, the US military fired on a vehicle carrying people “responsible” for the bombing with a short-range ballistic missile on its military base in Al-Assad. Centcom reported that the American attack caused “multiple enemy casualties,” but an exact number was not given.
Later, an official from Hashd al-Shaabi, a coalition of former paramilitaries integrated into the regular armed forces, reported “five dead and four wounded” among the influential group’s fighters.
The speaker of PentagonSabrina Singh explained in a subsequent press conference that the US al-Asad air base was attacked by pro-Iranian militias with a short-range ballistic missile.
Despite the attack in “self-defense” The US insists it does not want the conflict to spread in the region, emphasized the speaker. However, he made clear that his government would respond to future attacks “if necessary.”
The US has asserted that its forces in Iraq and Syria have been attacked a total of 66 times since October 17. according to Singh. The actions of pro-Iranian militias take place almost daily, although Iraqi Prime Minister Mohamed Shia al Sudani has maintained intensive contacts in recent weeks, including with the Iranian authorities, to stop these attacks, which Washington considers “totally unacceptable”.
The United States Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, He made a surprise visit to Baghdad a few weeks ago to warn that his country “will take all necessary steps to protect its personnel in the Middle East.”