Iranian-backed Iraqi militias on Monday announced renewed attacks on US troops in the region, hours after Iraq shelled a US military base in Syria, the first such attack since early February, The National News reports.
The statement by the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, was published on a Telegram channel affiliated with Kataib Hezbollah, one of Iraq’s most powerful armed groups.
The statement said the decision to resume the attacks came after Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani’s visit to Washington last week failed to make progress in talks on the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq.
“What happened a short while ago is the beginning,” it said, referring to the launch of five rockets from the northern Iraqi town of Zummar towards a US military base in north-eastern Syria on Sunday night.
Iraqi security forces are searching for perpetrators near the Syrian border in Nineveh province, the Iraqi Security Media Group said in a statement published on its website X.
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq announced it was halting attacks on US troops after a drone killed three and wounded dozens of US troops at an outpost in Jordan in late January. The Pentagon said the last strike against US forces’ militias was carried out on 4 February.
The US holds Iran generally responsible for arming and supporting Iraqi militias and holds Qataiba Hezbollah responsible for attacks on its troops.
Sources in Lebanon and Iraq told The National in March that the pause in operations was part of an undeclared truce involving Tehran and the Iraqi government.
While Washington has cautiously welcomed the decrease in attacks, the US military has said it is prepared to launch new strikes against Iranian-backed militias if they resume fighting against its troops.
The US strikes on militias inside Iraq have prompted the government in Baghdad to respond to longstanding calls for US troops to leave the country.
Some 2,500 US troops are stationed in Iraq as part of an international coalition to fight ISIL.
On 27 January, Iraq and the US held the first round of talks on ending the coalition’s mission. Baghdad expects the talks to lead to a timetable for reducing the coalition presence and reaching bilateral agreements with security partners.
The renewed attacks on US troops come at a time of high tensions between Iran and Israel. The Israeli army launched a military strike on Iranian territory on Friday, less than a week after Tehran carried out a missile and drone strike in response to an Israeli attack on its embassy in Damascus. It is the latest escalation, heightening fears of a regional war.
The US was notified of the Israeli strike but did not approve the operation and had no involvement, NBC and CNN reported, citing multiple sources and a US official.
