Pentagon chief singles out two Iraqi groups for recent attacks on U.S. assets in a call with al-Sudani

Shafaq News/ U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin condemned the attacks on his country's embassy in Baghdad and singled out Iran-aligned armed groups Kata'ib Hezbollah and Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba for the recent targetting of U.S. personnel.

Austin's remarks came during a call with Iraq's Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani earlier today, Sunday.

"The United States reserves the right to respond decisively against those groups," Austin told al-Sudani, according to a Pentagon statement summarizing the call.

He welcomed Prime Minister al-Sudani's statement this morning that rightly condemned the attack as "acts of terrorism" that "endanger Iraq's internal security."

Secretary Austin underscored that attacks by Iran-backed militias undermine the sovereignty and stability of Iraq, risk the safety of Iraqi civilians, and set back the campaign to defeat ISIS.

They discussed the U.S.-Iraq Higher Military Commission, which was agreed by the two governments during the U.S.-Iraq Joint Security Cooperation Dialogue in August 2023. The statement emphasized that it is a "consultative mechanism" for the transition of the Coalition. "However, the Secretary made clear that attacks against U.S. forces must stop."

Early on Friday, nearly seven mortar rounds landed in the U.S. Embassy compound in Baghdad. The attack marked the first time it had been fired on in more than a year, apparently widening the range of targets.

No group claimed responsibility, but previous attacks against U.S. forces have been carried out by Iran-aligned groups operating under the banner of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq.

U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria were also targeted with rockets and drones at least five more times on Friday; three times at separate bases in Syria, and twice at the Ain al-Asad airbase west of Baghdad, a different U.S. defense official said.

The attacks were the most recorded against U.S. forces in the region in a single day since mid-October, when Iran-aligned militias started targeting U.S. assets in Iraq and Syria over Washington's backing of Israel in its war against Hamas in Gaza.

Explosions were heard near the embassy, in the centre of Baghdad, at about 4 a.m. on Friday. Sirens calling on people to take cover were activated.

State media said the attack damaged the headquarters of an Iraqi security agency.

U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria have been attacked at least 84 times since Oct. 17. The U.S. has responded with a series of strikes that have killed at least 15 militants in Iraq and up to seven in Syria.

"The many Iran-aligned militias that operate freely in Iraq threaten the security and stability of Iraq, our personnel, and our partners in the region," State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement.

"The Iraqi government has repeatedly committed to protect diplomatic missions as well as U.S. military personnel, who are present in the country at Iraq’s invitation. This is non-negotiable, as is our right to self-defense," Miller added.

The attacks pose a challenge for al-Sudani, who has pledged to protect foreign missions and capitalize on fragile stability to focus on the economy and court foreign investment, including from the United States.

Al-Sudani directed security agencies to pursue the perpetrators, describing them as "unruly, lawless groups that do not in any way represent the will of the Iraqi people," a statement from his office said.

He also said that undermining Iraq's stability, reputation and targeting places Iraq has committed to protect were acts of terrorism.

The head of militia Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada, one of the main factions that has been targeting U.S. forces in the region, said in a social media post that he rejected "stopping or easing operations" while "Zionist crimes continue in Gaza."

Aside from its diplomatic staff in Iraq, the United States has about 2,500 troops in the country on a mission it says aims to advise and assist local forces trying to prevent a resurgence of Islamic State, which in 2014 seized large swathes of both Iraq and Syria before being defeated.

Houthis in Yemen have been firing at Israel and ships in the Red Sea in a campaign they say aims to support the Palestinians. U.S. warships have shot down several of their projectiles.