BALADI NEWS
The US military has launched a series of airstrikes in Iraq and Syria following the death of an American contractor.
The Department of Defence confirmed forces carried out “precision defensive strikes” against five sites belonging to Hezbollah Brigades, an Iranian-backed militia.
The Trump administration blames the group – also known Kataib Hezbollah – for a rocket assault against a military compound near Kirkuk in northern Iraq on Friday, which left one American defence worker dead and several US and Iraqi soldiers wounded.
Jonathan Hoffman, the chief Pentagon spokesman, said the targets included weapons storage facilities and command posts that were used to attack American and partner forces.
The ammunition facilities held both rockets and drones used by Kataib Hezbollah.
The command and control buildings had been used by the group to plot attacks. The ordnance dropped by the F-15Es on the ammunition depots set off several large secondary explosions, American officials said, confirming that the facilities were used to store a significant amount of weaponry.
Three people were killed and several were injured in the strikes, including one man identified as a commander of a Kataib Hezbollah brigade.
American officials have not been able confirm how many members of the group were killed.
Mr. Hoffman said the United States would conduct additional strikes if the attacks by Kataib Hezbollah did not stop.
Source: The New York Times.