- US and coalition forces struck back against Iranian-linked militias in Iraq, one day after a rocket attack killed a British Army medic and two Americans.
- "Earlier this evening, the United States conducted defensive precision strikes against [Kataib Hezbollah] facilities across Iraq," a statement from the US military said.
- "All options are on the table as we work with our partners to bring the perpetrators to justice and maintain deterrence," the defense secretary said earlier on Thursday.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
US and coalition forces struck back against Iranian-linked militias in Iraq, one day after a rocket attack killed a British Army medic and two Americans.
"Earlier this evening, the United States conducted defensive precision strikes against Kata'ib Hizbollah facilities across Iraq," a statement from the US military said. "These strikes targeted five weapon storage facilities to significantly degrade their ability to conduct future attacks."
Defense Secretary Mark Esper reiterated on Thursday that the US "will not tolerate attacks against our people, our interests, or our allies," following the rocket attack that also wounded at least 12 people, and that it would retaliate against maligned forces as necessary.
"All options are on the table as we work with our partners to bring the perpetrators to justice and maintain deterrence," Esper said in the Pentagon.
"You don't get to shoot at our bases, and kill and wound Americans, and get away with it," he added.
Over a dozen out of 30 rockets hit the Camp Taji base in Iraq, where US and coalition forces are hosted, on Wednesday night. Iraq forces found a truck rigged with several rockets nearby and the scene is still under investigation.
Kataib Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed militia that was formed by five smaller Shiite groups after the US's invasion of Iraq, embraces Iranian leaders and ideology, pledging to form a government similar to that of Tehran.
The brigade's leader and deputy PMF commander, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, was killed in the same airstrike that killed Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani earlier this year. Muhandis previously described Soleimani as "a living martyr."
The US State Department designated Kataib Hezbollah as a foreign terrorist organization in 2009. The group would continue to antagonize the US and threaten to fight "American occupiers" in Iraq.
Kataib Hezbollah agents killed five US soldiers during a rocket attack in Baghdad in 2011. According to the State Department, the group filmed their ambushes against US and Iraqi targets, including sniper and improvise-explosive device attacks.