Iraqi officials claim that the US airstrikes violated their national sovereignty; Baghdad states that they’re to reconsider their relationship with the US; Iranian-backed militia vow revenge after suffering a devastating loss.
After the United States military carried out a series of retaliatory airstrikes on Iranian-backed militia Sunday evening, the militia is now vowing revenge for the devastating loss they experienced. Several of those killed in the strikes belonged to Hezbollah and were considered experts in the field of surface-to-surface missiles. Approximately 27 Iranian-backed militia were killed in the strikes that were in response to rockets fired at an Iraqi base on Friday that killed 3 people, including a US civilian contractor.
The sect that lost 4 commanders is known as Kata’ib Hezbollah, and in response to the blow they received, they’re reported to have said, “Our battle with America and its mercenaries is now open to all possibilities. We have no alternative today other than confrontation and there is nothing that will prevent us from responding to this crime.” Additionally, the Iraqi government is reported to be standing in opposition to the US strikes, referring to them as a “dangerous violation of the rules of engagement that govern the work of U.S.-led coalition forces in Iraq.”
Russia & Syria both condemned the US strikes, claiming that they would further destabilize the region. A Russian official stated, “We consider such actions unacceptable and counterproductive. We call upon all parties to refrain from further actions that could sharply destabilize the military-political situation in Iraq, Syria, and the neighboring countries.” The problem with such a viewpoint is that it dismisses the reality that Iran is responsible for destabilizing the region (that hasn’t been “stable” for some time). Iran’s funding of terror throughout the Middle East is the reason that Israel and the United States are constantly exchanging fire with Iranian-sponsored militia.
