The U.S. has confirmed that it killed a senior leader of the Iran-backed group Kataib Hezbollah in a strike in Iraq on Wednesday. The targeted individual was a commander responsible for operations in Syria. Kataib Hezbollah is among the Iran-backed groups held accountable by the U.S. for a series of attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria, as well as for a deadly drone strike in Jordan that resulted in the death of three U.S. soldiers and injuries to dozens more. According to officials, the strike in Iraq was part of the response promised by President Biden following the drone strike in Jordan.
The retaliation for the Jordan attack commenced last Friday with the U.S. targeting over 85 sites in Iraq and Syria, including command and control operation centers, as well as missiles and rockets utilized by the militia groups and their sponsors from the Iran Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, as stated by U.S. Central Command.
Since October 17, Iranian-backed militia groups have carried out at least 168 attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq, Syria, and Jordan. Data provided by the Pentagon shows that these attacks have resulted in the deaths of three U.S. service members, with two very seriously injured, nine seriously injured, and 132 others sustaining non-serious injuries.
