US Launches Retaliatory Strikes on Iranian-Backed Militia Groups Following Drone Attack in Iraq

In response to a drone attack in Northern Iraq that left three U.S. service members injured, President Joe Biden has authorized retaliatory strikes against Iranian-backed militia groups, according to sources

The National Security Council spokeswoman, Adrienne Watson, stated, “Early this morning in northern Iraq, U.S. military personnel were targeted by a one-way attack drone. The attack wounded three US service members, one critically. The Iranian-backed militia Kataib Hezbollah and affiliated groups, under an umbrella of Iranian-backed militants, claimed credit for the attack.”

President Biden was briefed on the incident and subsequently directed strikes against three locations used by Kataib Hezbollah and its affiliated groups, specifically targeting unmanned aerial drone activities.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and the national security team swiftly presented response options to President Biden, who made the decision to proceed with the retaliatory strikes.

This recent attack comes amid months of escalating threats and actions against U.S. forces in the region, following the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, which led to a devastating conflict in Gaza. The Iranian government and its allied militant forces in Yemen have openly criticized Israel’s military operations in Gaza.

The Gaza Strip has faced over 11 weeks of Israeli air and ground attacks, resulting in a reported death toll exceeding 20,400 people, with a majority being women and children, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run coastal territory.

Attributing the rising violence to Iran and its network of proxy groups across the region, the U.S. has pointed to attacks by Yemen’s Houthis against commercial and military vessels in the Red Sea. The U.S. Department of Defense reported a drone-launched attack from Iran targeting a chemical tanker in the Indian Ocean.

Iran has consistently denied accusations by the U.S. and Israel, asserting that the Houthis act independently in their actions. Tensions in the region remain high as the situation develops.