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U.S. forces launched another airstrike, this time targeting Iran-backed forces in Iraq, as troops have been subject to daily attacks over the past month. It is the fourth set of retaliatory strikes the U.S. has launched against Iranian-back militants in the Middle East.
"On the morning of November 22 in Iraq, U.S. Central Command forces conducted discrete, precision strikes against two facilities in Iraq. The strikes were in direct response to the attacks against U.S. and Coalition forces by Iran and Iran-backed groups, including the one in Iraq on November 21, which involved use of close-range ballistic missiles," a statement from Central Command said.
A military official told ABC News the airstrikes targeted Kataib Hezbollah forces stationed south of Baghdad.
"The strikes were conducted against a Kataib Hezbollah operations center and a Kataib Hezbollah Command and Control node near Al Anbar and Jurf al Saqr, south of Baghdad," the official said.
Before the planned airstrikes, an AC-130 gunship opened fire on a group of fighters who launched missiles from their vehicle at Al Asad Air Base. Officials said that the attack was not planned and was in direct response to the attack on the base.
"The militants were targeted because the AC-130 was able to determine the point of origin," Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said. "We had an aircraft that was able to identify where the close-range ballistic missile was being shot from, and therefore we were able to take action."