The United States announced that it struck three sites used by Hezbollah and other Iranian-backed forces in Iraq on Monday, December 25, specifically in response to an attack on American personnel in Erbil, in the north of the country.
“The U.S. military conducted necessary and proportionate attacks on three facilities used by Kataeb Hezbollah and affiliated groups in Iraq,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement. These attacks were “in response to a series of attacks on American personnel in Iraq and Syria carried out by Iran-backed militias, including the Iran-linked Kataeb Hezbollah and affiliated groups, against Erbil Air Base today,” he said emphasized.
The Hezbollah Brigades, or Kataeb Hezbollah, has been designated a “terrorist organization” by the U.S. State Department since 2009.
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Three American soldiers injured
Three American soldiers were injured in the attack in Erbil, one of them seriously, said Adrienne Watson, spokeswoman for the White House National Security Council. This attack was carried out with an explosive drone and was claimed by the Islamic Resistance Group in Iraq, a coalition of fighters from several pro-Iran armed groups who are also linked to Hachd Al-Chalabi, former paramilitaries integrated into the regular armed forces .
Since the war between Hamas and Israel began on October 7, attacks by pro-Iranian groups on American troops in Iraq and Syria have increased. One hundred and three of them have been registered by Washington since October 17, with the majority of them claimed by the Islamic Resistance in Iraq group, which denounces American support for Israel. “The United States will act at a time and in a manner of its choosing if these attacks continue,” Watson said in a statement.
Washington has about 2,500 troops in Iraq and 900 in Syria as part of a system designed to combat a possible resurgence of the Islamic State group.
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