US strikes Iraq amid escalating regional tensions

Iraqi police say strike inside a base south of Baghdad used by Iraq's PMF killed four members of the group

WASHINGTON/BAGHDAD:

The United States on Tuesday carried out a strike in Iraq in self defence, U.S. officials told Reuters, as regional tensions rose after an Israeli airstrike in Beirut that Israel said killed Hezbollah's most senior commander.

Iraqi police and medical sources said the strike inside a base south of Baghdad used by Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) killed four members of the group that contains several Iran-aligned armed militias, and wounded four others.

In a statement after the blasts, the Popular Mobilization Forces made no accusation about who was responsible.

US officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the United States carried out an airstrike in Musayib, located in Babil province, but did not provide more details on the location.

The officials added that the strike targeted militants that the US deemed were looking to launch drones and posed a threat to US and coalition forces.

The officials did not comment on any casualties.

"This action underscores the United States' commitment to the safety and security of our personnel," one of the officials said.

Multiple rockets were launched toward Iraq's Ain al-Asad airbase housing U.S.-led forces last week, U.S. and Iraqi sources said, with no damage or casualties reported. U.S. officials said none of the rockets hit the base.

Tuesday's action was the first known U.S. strike in Iraq since February, when the U.S. military launched airstrikes in Iraq and Syria against more than 85 targets linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guard and Iran-aligned militias.

An Israeli airstrike on the densely populated southern suburbs of Beirut heightened fears of an escalation of wider conflict in the Middle East.

The 150,000-strong Popular Mobilisation Forces, a state-sanctioned grouping of Iraqi paramilitaries, is dominated by heavily armed and battle-hardened groups loyal to Iran and with close ties to its Revolutionary Guards.

Iraq, a rare ally of both the US and Iran which hosts 2,500 U.S. troops and has Iran-backed militias linked to its security forces, has witnessed escalating tit-for-tat attacks since the Israel-Hamas war erupted in October.

Iraq wants troops from the US-led military coalition to begin withdrawing in September and to formally end the coalition's work by September 2025, Iraqi sources have said, with some US forces likely to remain in a newly negotiated advisory capacity.

The issue is highly politicized, with mainly Iran-aligned Iraqi political factions looking to show that they are again pushing out the country's one-time occupier, while U.S. officials want to avoid giving Iran and its allies a win.

US-led forces invaded Iraq in 2003, toppled former leader Saddam Hussein and then withdrew in 2011, only to return in 2014 to fight Islamic State at the head of a coalition.