A spokesman for Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani confirmed on Wednesday that the strikes carried out by the United States overnight against Iraqi groups that are part of the official security forces represent a "clear determination to harm security and stability in Iraq." The U.S. Department of Defense (Pentagon) announced that the United States launched attacks on three facilities linked to Iran-backed factions, including the Hezbollah Brigades, following an attack earlier in the week on an Iraqi airbase that resulted in injuries to American soldiers. U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin stated, "These precision strikes are a direct response to a series of escalatory attacks on U.S. troops and coalition forces in Iraq and Syria by Iranian-backed militias."
The spokesman made remarks that carried some of the harshest criticisms from the Iraqi Prime Minister's office towards the United States, stating, "This unacceptable act undermines years of cooperation, grossly infringes on Iraq's sovereignty, and leads to irresponsible escalation." American forces in Iraq and Syria have been attacked nearly 150 times by Iranian-backed groups since the start of the conflict in Gaza, putting pressure on U.S. President Joe Biden to respond militarily despite the political sensitivities in Baghdad. The United States responded with several strikes, including one that killed a prominent commander of an armed group in Baghdad, which led Iraq to demand the expedited withdrawal of U.S.-led coalition forces from its territory, but through negotiation.
Among the groups supported by Iran that have attacked U.S. forces is a part of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), which has officially become part of the state security forces after being formed in 2014 to combat the Islamic State terrorist organization. Although the PMF is officially under the Prime Minister's leadership, many groups within it make decisions outside of the formal leadership structure and have pledged to continue attacks on U.S. forces until the war in Gaza ceases. Jaafar al-Husseini, a military spokesman for the Iraqi Hezbollah Brigades, stated on X social media, "We will continue to hit the enemy strongholds in support of our people in Gaza, until the American-supported killing machine stops and the full siege is lifted. This is a promise from the free."
The PMF reported that one of its members was killed and two were injured in the strikes that were carried out overnight, targeting Jurf al-Sakhar, located about 50 kilometers south of Baghdad, and the town of al-Qaim on the Syrian border. The United States has 900 troops in Syria, in addition to 2,500 in Iraq, providing advice, training, and assistance to local forces to prevent the resurgence of the Islamic State, which managed to seize vast areas of the two countries in 2014 before being defeated after several years.
