Iran-backed militant group warns of ‘expanding’ its targets if U.S. forces keep striking back

Military vehicles are seen at the Ain al-Asad air base in Iraq in January 2020. (Reuters/John Davison)

An Iranian-backed militant group in Iraq is warning Wednesday that it’s considering “expanding” its “scope of targets” if American forces continue targeting their fighters. 

U.S. fighter jets struck a Kataib Hezbollah operations center and a Kataib Hezbollah command and control node south of Baghdad on Tuesday, two defense officials told the Associated Press, after U.S. forces stationed at Ain al-Asad air base in Iraq were attacked the same day. 

There were Kataib Hezbollah personnel at both sites at the time of the strikes, but the officials said they could not yet confirm whether anyone there was killed. Officials in Iraq said the attack had killed eight Kataib Hezbollah members. 

Kataib Hezbollah said in a statement Wednesday that it was considering “expanding the scope of targets” if the U.S. military continues with its strikes, adding that the attack “will not go unpunished.” 

Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said close-range ballistic missiles were used against U.S. and coalition forces at the Ain al-Asad air base, resulting in "several non-serious injuries and some minor damage to infrastructure." 

The dangerous back-and-forth strikes have escalated since Iranian-backed militant groups under the umbrella group called the Islamic Resistance in Iraq and Syria began striking U.S. facilities on Oct. 17, the date that a blast at a hospital in Gaza killed hundreds. The attacks have continued unabated since, with at least 66 rocket and missile attacks hitting U.S. facilities and wounding at least 62 service members.