The United States military conducted air strikes against three facilities in Iraq, targeting an Iranian-backed militia. This operation was in response to recent attacks on American troops in Iraq and Syria.

January 23, 2024 – The U.S. military strikes were a direct response to escalating aggression by Iranian-sponsored militias against U.S. and Coalition personnel in Iraq and Syria. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin stated that the strikes were necessary and proportionate, aimed at the Kataib Hezbollah militia group and other Iran-affiliated groups in Iraq. The U.S. Central Command specified that the strikes targeted militia facilities in western Iraq, near the Syrian border.

These precision strikes were focused on headquarters, storage, and training locations for rocket, missile, and one-way attack drone capabilities of the targeted group. This decisive action followed a serious attack on the al-Asad Air Base, where militants launched multiple ballistic missiles, resulting in injuries to U.S. service members and damage to infrastructure. Two one-way attack drones had also targeted the base earlier, highlighting a pattern of increasing hostility from these militia groups.