Iran “strongly condemned” the United States air strikes against an Iranian-backed proxy in response to their earlier attack on US forces in Iraq that killed one American civilian contractor, wounding four US service members as well as Iraqi security forces, according to Iranian local media.
The US carried out airstrikes against Kataib Hezbollah (Hezbollah Battalion) in Iraq and Syria on Sunday, targeting three Kataib Hezbollah facilities in Iraq and two in Syria, killing 25 fighters, and wounding 55 others, according to Pentagon Spokesperson Jonathan Hoffman.
These locations included weapon storage facilities and command and control locations that Kataib Hezbollah used to plan and execute attacks, he added.
“With these attacks, the United States has shown its strong support for terrorism, disregarding the independence and sovereignty of countries, and must accept responsibility for the consequences of this illegal act,” state news agency IRNA quoted Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Abbas Mousavi as saying.
Iran’s foreign ministry described the strikes as “a clear example of terrorism,” while Iraq’s prime minister denounced “the violation of Iraqi sovereignty”.
Warning of a strong response to the strikes, Kataib Hezbollah Leader Jamal Jaafar Ibrahimi, who is also known as Abu Mahdi al-Muhandes said, “the blood of the martyrs will not be in vain… and our response will be very tough on the American forces in Iraq.”
Meanwhile, Lebanon’s Hezbollah Shi’ite group had also condemned the US air strikes in Iraq and Syria calling them a blatant attack on Iraqi sovereignty, security, and stability.
Lebanon’s Hezbollah criticised in a statement the US for conducting these attacks against Kataib Hezbollah group which helped it defeat the Islamic State militant group.
On the other hand, Israel’s Foreign Minister Israel Katz praised the US strikes, tweeting that the strikes were a “turning point in the regional response to Iran and its proxies,” asserting that “if Iran fails to understand the power of the US, they will be making a big mistake.”
