On Tuesday, the United States carried out a defensive strike in Iraq amid escalating regional tensions, following an Israeli airstrike in Beirut that resulted in the death of a top Hezbollah commander. According to a U.S. official who spoke on the condition of anonymity, the strike was conducted in response to a threat against coalition forces stationed in Iraq.
The precise target of the U.S. strike and any resulting casualties were not immediately disclosed. There were earlier reports of explosions at a base south of Baghdad belonging to Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), a state security agency that includes several Iran-aligned armed groups. These explosions resulted in four fatalities and three injuries, though the PMF has not attributed blame for the incident.
The U.S. official emphasized that the strike was a defensive measure, but provided no further details. This action comes amid heightened tensions following multiple rocket attacks on Iraq’s Ain al-Asad airbase, which houses U.S.-led coalition forces. No damage or casualties were reported from those incidents.
This strike marks the first known U.S. action in Iraq since February, when the U.S. military conducted airstrikes targeting over 85 sites linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard and affiliated militias. Iraq, which maintains a delicate balance between its alliances with both Tehran and Washington, has experienced a series of retaliatory attacks since the onset of the Israel-Hamas conflict in October.
Sources By Agencies
