LOC11:17
08:17 GMT
WASHINGTON, Jan 24 (KUNA) -- The US Army announced that it had launched air strikes on sites of Iraqi militia group Kataib Hezbollah, in response to attacks on US forces in the region.
In a statement, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the strikes in Iraq were at the direction of President Joe Biden and targeted facilities used by the Iranian-backed Kataib Hezbollah militia group and other Iran-affiliated groups in Iraq.
"These precision strikes are in direct response to a series of escalatory attacks against US and Coalition personnel in Iraq and Syria by Iranian-sponsored militias," he said.
Austin stressed "the President Joe and I will not hesitate to take necessary action" to defend American interests.
"We do not seek to escalate conflict in the region. We are fully prepared to take further measures to protect our people and our facilities," he added.
The US military's Central Command said on its social Media platform X, in response to attacks by the Iranian-backed militia group Kataib Hezbollah, including the attack on al-Asad Airbase in western Iraq, the US CENTCOM forces conducted unilateral airstrikes against three facilities used by Iranian-backed Kataib Hezbollah militia group and other Iran-affiliated groups in Iraq.
These strikes targeted KH headquarters, storage, and training locations for rocket, missile, and one-way attack UAV capabilities.
According to the US Department of Defense (Pentagon), US forces in Syria and Iraq have been subjected to more than 150 attacks since mid-October.
American forces in the Middle East are subjected to repeated attacks coinciding with the war waged by the Israeli occupation army in Gaza Strip, where more than 25,000 Palestinians were martyred. (end)
asj.sam