According to the Iraqi government, one Iraqi soldier was killed and 18 others were injured in Tuesday's attack.
U.S. strikes on Iranian-allied forces in Iraq have killed one Iraqi service member and injured at least 18 other people, according to the Iraqi government.
The strikes, launched early Tuesday, targeted three sites used by Kataeb Hezbollah and affiliated groups, said Adrienne Watson, spokeswoman for the U.S. National Security Council. They were in response to a Kataeb Hezbollah attack the day before on the Erbil air base in which three US soldiers were injured, one of them critically, according to US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.
Austin said the “necessary and proportionate” attacks were aimed at “disrupting and weakening” the capabilities of Iran-aligned groups responsible for attacks on U.S. personnel.
The Iraqi government condemned the US strikes on Tuesday, calling them “hostile acts” that violate Iraqi sovereignty.
The attacks “damage bilateral relations between the two countries,” said a statement from the Iraqi prime minister, quoted by the Iraqi state news agency.
“Defend our interests”
In response to dozens of attacks on American and allied forces in the region since the Israel-Hamas war broke out on October 7, US forces have repeatedly attacked sites used by Iran and its proxy forces in Iraq and Syria.
US officials said on Tuesday the US military would continue to retaliate if US soldiers were targeted.
“The United States will act at a time and in a manner of its choosing if these attacks continue,” Watson said.
Austin said: “Let me be clear: The President and I will not hesitate to take the actions necessary to defend the United States, our troops and our interests. There is no higher priority.”
U.S. Central Command said initial assessments of the U.S. military's recent strikes suggested they destroyed the facilities targeted and likely killed several Kataeb Hezbollah fighters without killing any civilians.
The attacks are the latest sign of how Israel's war in Gaza is playing out across the Middle East, where outrage over the rising Palestinian death toll is widespread.
According to Palestinian authorities, at least 20,424 Palestinians have been killed since October 7, when the Palestinian armed group Hamas launched a surprise multi-stage attack on southern Israel.
Washington has blamed Iranian proxy forces in Iraq and Syria for regular attacks on US and allied forces in the region since the start of the Gaza war. U.S. officials have reported at least 103 attacks against their troops in Iraq and Syria since October 17.
Tehran did not comment on the latest attacks but previously denied it had ordered proxy groups to attack US forces in the region.