US launches airstrikes in Iraq, killing 5

BAGHDAD — Iraq's Kataib Hezbollah militia said five of its members were killed in its stronghold of Jurf al-Sakhar south of Baghdad in US strikes that Washington said came in response to attacks by "Iran-aligned" militias against their forces in the region.

Iran has repeatedly denied any involvement in any attacks against US troops stationed in the Middle East.

The United States carried out two series of strikes in Iraq on Tuesday and Wednesday local time, its first publicly reported responses in Iraqi territory to alleged dozens of recent attacks and a sign of escalation in the regional conflict tied to the Israel-Palestine conflict.

The attacks began on Oct 17 and have been linked by Iraqi militia groups to US support for Israel in its bombardment of Gaza.

It was the first time the US has announced a strike on Iran-backed forces in Iraq since they launched a flurry of attacks against US targets in response to Washington's support for Israel in its conflict with Hamas.

The strike by fighter aircraft targeted and destroyed a Kataib Hezbollah operations center and a command and control node near Al-Anbar and Jurf al-Sakhar, a US defense official said.

An Iraqi military official said at least three Kataib Hezbollah members had been killed and seven wounded in the overnight US strikes.

Until this week, the US had been reluctant to retaliate in Iraq because of the delicate political situation in Baghdad, where the two countries have sought closer cooperation, including on financial issues, while seeking to limit Iran's influence, Reuters reported.

On Wednesday, Iraq's government spokesman Bassem al-Awadi condemned the flurry of US airstrikes on its soil, calling it a violation of its sovereignty.

Al-Awadi said the predawn strikes were carried out "without the knowledge of Iraqi government agencies" and constituted an "unacceptable violation of Iraqi sovereignty".

Agencies Via Xinhua