White House says strikes targeted three sites used by Kataeb Hezbollah and other Iran-affiliated groups in Iraq.
US President Joe Biden ordered the strikes on three sites used by Kataeb Hezbollah and affiliated groups in Iraq, US National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a statement on Monday night.
Watson said the strikes “focused specifically on unmanned aerial drone activities”.
“The President places no higher priority than the protection of American personnel serving in harm’s way,” she said. “The United States will act at a time and in a manner of our choosing should these attacks continue.”
US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said the “necessary and proportionate” strikes were intended to “disrupt and degrade” the capabilities of Iran-aligned groups responsible for attacks against US personnel, including a drone attack on the Erbil Air Base on Monday.
“Today’s attack led to three injuries to US personnel, leaving one service member in critical condition. My prayers are with the brave Americans who were injured today,” Austin said.
“And 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.”
The US Central Command said early assessments indicated the strikes destroyed the targeted facilities and likely killed several Kataeb Hezbollah fighters, and that no civilians were killed.
The strikes are the latest indication of how Israel’s war in Gaza is reverberating across the Middle East, where there is widespread outrage over the mounting Palestinian death toll.
At least 20,424 Palestinians have been killed since October 7, when the Palestinian armed group Hamas launched a surprise multi-pronged assault on southern Israel, according to Palestinian authorities.
Washington has blamed Iranian proxy forces in Iraq and Syria for regular attacks on US and allied forces in the region since the start of the war in Gaza. US officials have reported at least 103 attacks against its troops in Iraq and Syria since October 17.
Tehran has not commented on the latest strikes but has previously denied directing proxy groups to attack US forces in the region.