On Tuesday, the United States conducted airstrikes in Iraq, specifically targeting facilities utilized by Iranian-backed militias in response to repeated attacks on US forces, according to a statement from Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.

The strikes focused on three facilities used by Iranian-backed Kataib Hezbollah and other groups affiliated with Tehran in Iraq.

Defense Secretary Austin stated that these airstrikes were a direct response to a series of escalating attacks against US and coalition personnel in Iraq and Syria by Iranian-backed militia groups, CNN reported.

A statement from US Central Command on Tuesday confirmed that American forces carried out unilateral airstrikes, aiming at the headquarters, storage, and training locations associated with rocket, missile, and one-way attack UAV capabilities linked to Kataib Hezbollah.

According to a US defense official, the airstrikes were executed at two sites in western Iraq, including Al-Qa’im near the Syrian border, as well as Jurf al-Sakhar south of Baghdad.

Written by B.C. Begley