U.S. Air Force F-15 fighter jets conducted a series of bombings in Syria and Iraq this weekend directed against Kataib Hezbollah, a group with links to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Secretary of Defense Mark Esper described the attacks as defensive in nature, as they were in retaliation for a rocket attack on a base in Kirkuk, Iraq where American troops are stationed. The base, known as K1, was hit on Friday with Katyusha rockets killing one American contractor, injuring four U.S. service members, and injuring two Iraqis. Over the last several months there has been a series of escalating rocket attacks against bases in Iraq.
"There are a lot of similarities to some of the other 10 rocket attacks in the last two months which we have linked to Iranian-backed militias. We are looking into a possible link to Kataib Hezbollah in particular," an anonymous official told CNN on Friday.
On Sunday the retaliatory strikes were launched against Kataib Hezbollah, hitting two of their bases in Syria and three in Iraq. The Iranian backed group has been fighting the United States as a proxy force for the IRGC since at least 2007. This year, the Trump administration made the IRGC a designated terrorist organization.
While evidence that Kataib Hezbollah was behind the rocket attack on Friday has not been presented as of yet, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made it clear that "we will not stand for the Islamic Republic of Iran to take actions that put American men and women in jeopardy."