THE US launched a fresh wave of airstrikes at Iran-based terrorists in Iraq following a brutal attack on American military over the weekend.
It comes just hours after the US and UK unleashed a second blitz in Yemen targeting Iran-backed Houthi rebels on Monday night.
It comes after rockets were fired at a US airbase in Ain al-Asad in Iraq on SaturdayPA
And ballistic missiles fired at a US airbase on Saturday left four American military personnel with traumatic brain injuries.
The ambush on Al-Asad airbase in Iraq left Iraqi and American officials seriously injured.
On Tuesday evening Biden’s forces retaliated with attacks on three different sites in Iraq used by terror groups backed by Iran.
US Central Command said in a statement posted to X: “U.S. CENTCOM forces conducted unilateral airstrikes against three facilities used by Iranian-backed Kataib Hezbollah militia group.
It added that the strikes targeted “other Iran-affiliated groups in Iraq”.
“These strikes targeted KH headquarters, storage, and training locations for rocket, missile, and one-way attack UAV capabilities.”
US airbases across the Middle East – particularly in Iraq and Syria – have faced an onslaught of missile attacks in recent weeks.
In response to Western support for Israel amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, militias funded by Iran have launched countless assaults.
Following Saturday’s attack on American military, US Central Command said: “Most of the missiles were intercepted by the base’s air defence systems while others impacted on the base.
“A number of U.S. personnel are undergoing evaluation for traumatic brain injuries.”
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq initially claimed responsibility for the brutal attack on Saturday.
They also claimed responsibility for the drone strikes on al-Omar oil field, a US base in eastern Syria, the drone strikes on Al-Harir airbase, Iraq and the shooting down of a US MQ-9 Reaper drone in Kuwait.
There are roughly 2,500 American troops in Iraq and some 900 in Syria – a hangover from occupation in the area and an attempt to monitor Islamic extremist threats,
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement: “Today, at President Biden’s direction, US military forces conducted necessary and proportionate strikes on three 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.
“I am grateful for both the skill and professionalism with which our personnel planned and conducted these strikes and the continued efforts of our troops on the ground as they work with regional partners to further dismantle and degrade ISIS.
“The President and I will not hesitate to take necessary action to defend them and our 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. We call on these groups and their Iranian sponsors to immediately cease these attacks.”
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