U.S. hits Iran proxy forces in Iraq, Syria
At least 3 dead in retaliatory strikes
WASHINGTON — The U.S. military on Sunday struck five targets in Iraq and Syria controlled by an Iranian-backed paramilitary group, in response to a rocket attack Friday that killed an American contractor, the Pentagon said.
The airstrikes, carried out by Air Force F-15E fighter planes, hit three locations in Iraq and two in Syria, all controlled by paramilitary group Kataib Hezbollah.
Jonathan Hoffman, the chief Pentagon spokesman, said the targets included weapons storage facilities and command posts that were used to attack U.S. and partner forces.
Mr. Hoffman said the U.S. would conduct additional strikes if the attacks by Kataib Hezbollah did not stop. Iranian proxy forces have carried out 11 attacks over the last two months on bases and facilities housing American contractors and service members, a U.S. official said.
“Iran and their KH proxy forces must cease their attacks on U.S. and coalition forces and respect Iraq’s sovereignty to prevent additional defensive actions by U.S. forces,” Mr. Hoffman said.
The ammunition facilities held both rockets and drones used by Kataib Hezbollah. The command and control buildings were used by the group to plot attacks. The ordnance dropped by the F-15Es on the ammunition depots set off several large secondary explosions, U.S. officials said, confirming that the facilities were used to store a significant amount of weaponry.
Three people were killed and several were injured in the strikes, including one man identified as a commander of a Kataib Hezbollah brigade. U.S. officials have not been able confirm how many members of the group were killed.
While President Donald Trump has sought to wind down the American war against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria, he has built up forces meant to deter against Iranian attacks. Trump administration officials have also said U.S. forces were in Iraq to help counter Iranian influence in Iraq and the region.
As rocket attacks by Iranian proxies have increased in recent weeks, some Defense Department officials have been worried that the situation could escalate beyond the kind of shadow conflict that the U.S. and Iraq have been engaged in.
The death of the American contractor and the response by the Pentagon could potentially lead to a further escalation. Iran could respond with a renewed roadside bomb campaign or more powerful rocket and missile attacks, a move that would most likely result in a more aggressive response by the United States.
U.S. military commanders have warned for months about a growing risk of attacks by Iranian proxy forces on American interests and personnel in the region, as Tehran chafes against the Trump administration’s renewed economic sanctions and pressure campaign.
So far, Iran and its proxies have mostly focused on American allies and partners. The U.S. has accused Iran of striking at oil tankers in the Arabian Sea and launching drone and cruise missile attacks on Saudi oil facilities. Iran also shot down a U.S. drone.
In response, the U.S. launched a series of cyberattacks, but Mr. Trump had resisted a larger military airstrike.
Friday’s rocket attack on a major Iraqi base where U.S. and allied troops train Iraq’s security forces was a far more direct strike at U.S. forces.
The U.S. military warned the Iraqi government, along with other coalition partners, before the strikes against Kataib Hezbollah.