The Iraqi government has condemned U.S. airstrikes against Iranian-backed militants in the country as a "clear hostile act" after three U.S. personnel were injured in a drone strike.
The U.S. carried out precision strikes on three facilities in Iraq used by Iranian-backed militia groups in Iraq, U.S. officials said on Monday.
In the wake of bloodshed in the Middle East following Palestinian militant group Hamas' October 7 attacks on Israel, violence has also sprung up in other parts of the region.
Bases hosting U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria, which are in the two countries as part of a coalition committed to dismantling ISIS, have repeatedly come under attack from what the U.S. calls Tehran-backed militant groups.
The U.S. conducted "necessary and proportionate strikes on three facilities used by Kataib Hezbollah and affiliated groups in Iraq," said Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. Washington's forces carried out the strikes at around 8:45 p.m. ET on Monday, the U.S. military said.
The strikes came after militants attacked the Harir Air Base near Erbil Airport in northern Iraq. One U.S. service member was left in a "critical condition," with two more injured, Austin said.
The base was targeted using a one-way attack drone, added White House National Security Council spokeswoman, Adrienne Watson.
The Iraqi government said more than 18 people had been injured, including civilians, labeling the U.S. strikes a "clear hostile act."
"It runs counter to the pursuit of enduring mutual interests in establishing security and stability, and it opposes the declared intention of the American side to enhance relations with Iraq," Baghdad said in a statement carried by an Iraqi news agency on Tuesday.
"We emphasize that this action undermines the bilateral relations between the two nations," the Iraqi government added.
"Above all, it constitutes an unacceptable violation of Iraqi sovereignty," it said.
The U.S. has pointed the finger at Iran for funding and supporting Hamas, as well as Lebanon-based Hezbollah and Houthi rebels controlling swathes of Yemen, who have fired on commercial vessels in key shipping lanes in the Red Sea.
"These strikes are intended to hold accountable those elements directly responsible for attacks on coalition forces in Iraq and Syria and degrade their ability to continue attacks. We will always protect our forces," said General Michael Erik Kurilla, commander of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces.
"Early assessments indicate that these U.S. airstrikes destroyed the targeted facilities and likely killed a number of Kataib Hezbollah militants," CENTCOM continued in a statement.
"There are no indications that any civilian lives were affected," the U.S. military added.
The U.S. has already carried out strikes against militants in Iraq and Syria, including on an operations center used by Kataib Hezbollah to the south of Baghdad last month.
In late November, Kataib Hezbollah said it would debate "expanding the scope of targets" if Washington continued with its airstrikes, according to The Associated Press.
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