US fighter aircraft struck two militant operation centers in Iraq yesterday, killing eight Kataib Hezbollah fighters in the process.
The strikes were in response to escalating attacks on US forces in Syria and Iraq. Twenty-four hours earlier, eight US troops had been injured in a close-range missile attack at a base in Baghdad. To date, there have been 66 attacks on US bases in the region since Oct. 17.
But the Iraqi government is saying these latest airstrikes went too far, calling them a “dangerous escalation.” Kataib Hezbollah also threatened to attack a wider array of targets if the US strikes continue.
Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh continues to say that the US is not seeking wider conflict, but that the Iranian-backed attacks against American troops must stop.