On Tuesday The United States carried out a strike in Iraq as regional tensions worsened after an Israeli airstrike in Beirut that Israel said killed a top Hezbollah commander, reports "Reuters".
Iraqi police and medical sources said the strike on a base south of Baghdad used by the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) killed four members of the group, which includes several armed militias linked to Iran, and wounded four others .
In a statement after the blasts, the Popular Mobilization Forces did not make accusations about who was responsible.
US officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the United States carried out an air strike in Musaib, located in Babil province, but did not provide further details on the location.
The officials added that the strike targeted fighters the US believed wanted to launch drones and posed a threat to US and coalition forces.
Officials did not comment on casualties.
"This action underscores the commitment of the United States to the safety and security of our personnel," one of the officials said.
Iraq condemned the strike, saying the US-led military coalition committed a "heinous crime" by targeting security sites south of Baghdad and said the attacks were a serious violation of the coalition's mission and mandate, it said an Iraqi military spokesman said in a statement. Read more
Multiple missiles were fired at Iraq's Ain al-Assad air base, which hosts US-led forces, last week, US and Iraqi sources said, with no reports of damage or casualties. U.S. officials said none of the missiles hit the base.
Tuesday's action was the first US strike in Iraq since February, when the US military carried out airstrikes in Iraq and Syria against more than 85 targets linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guard and Iran-linked militias.
The 150,000-strong Popular Mobilization Forces, a state-sanctioned group of Iraqi paramilitaries, is dominated by heavily armed and battle-hardened groups loyal to Iran and with close ties to its Revolutionary Guards.
Iraq wants troops from the U.S.-led military coalition to begin withdrawing in September and formally end the coalition by September 2025, Iraqi sources said, with some U.S. forces likely to remain in a recently agreed advisory capacity.< /p>
The issue is highly politicized, with mainly Iran-aligned Iraqi political factions eager to show they are pushing back the country's one-time occupier, while U.S. officials want to avoid a victory for Iran and its allies.
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 .