In a report published by Reuters two security sources have reported that a Senior Commander of Katabi Hezbollah has died in a drone strike. Hezbollah is an Iran-backed military group based in Iraq and the Pentagon has linked to an attack that killed three United States Troops.
An Israeli soldier wearing a patch on the back of his flack jacket showing Lebanon's Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah as a target, stands in front of a self-propelled artillery howitzer in Upper Galilee in northern Israel, as an artillery unit shells southern Lebanon on January 4, 2024. Nasrallah warned Israel against all-out conflict, after Israeli army chief Herzi Halevi, in a visit to the Lebanese border, said troops were "in very high readiness".
The commander has been identified as Abu Baqir al-Saadi. One of the sources reports that three people were killed and the vehicle that was struck was used by Iraq's Popular Mobilization Force (PMF). The PMF is a state security organization that is composed of a myriad of armed groups with many of them being close with Iran.
The report from Reuters went on to reveal, "(U.S.) forces conducted a unilateral strike in Iraq in response to the attacks on U.S. service members, killing a Kataib Hezbollah commander responsible for directly planning and participating in attacks on U.S. forces in the region," a statement from the military said. It did not name the commander.
Exchanging Blows
One of those said groups is Kataib Hezbollah. Following the attack, the group announced that it would be suspending strikes against United States troops within the area. Both territories of Iraq and Syria have been bearing witness to various back-and-forth attacks between the two parties since the conflict within the Gaza Strip began in October of last year. The United States did not provide the outlet with a statement regarding the attack on Wednesday. However, this attack appears to be a continuation of strikes against various Iran-backed military groups following the initial strike from Hezbollah.
Hezbollah themselves have been linked to many strikes and attacks not just to United States troops but also Israel and while the group did spurn US overtures back in January, they have stated that they wanted to keep the door open for diplomacy. In addition, there have been strikes from the Houthi Rebels another Iran-backed military group that has been conducting various strikes against cargo ships within the Red Sea. The strikes have been forcing many cargo ships to change their routes but the United States has carried out strikes against the military group within Yemen
