The Pentagon threatens Kataib Hezbollah
An aerial view of Pentagon headquarters. Photo: AFP
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – The US Department of Defense refrained on Tuesday from providing a direct comment on a statement issued by the Iranian-backed Iraqi Kataib Hezbollah, in which it announced the cessation of all its military operations against US forces in the region.
“I don’t have a specific comment to provide; other than that, actions speak louder than words,” Pentagon Press Secretary Major General Pat Ryder said during a press briefing.
Ryder said that three attacks had already been launched on US forces in the region since a drone attack on January 28 on a base in Jordan that killed three soldiers and injured more than 40 others.
The US military official indicated that this would be followed by an American response.
“I don’t think we could be any clearer that we have called on the Iranian proxy groups to stop their attacks,” Ryder explained. “They have not. So, we will respond in a time and manner of our choosing,” he added.
Kataib Hezbollah in Iraq announced the suspension of military operations against US forces in the country in order not to embarrass the Iraqi government, after Washington pledged to respond in an appropriate manner to a drone attack that killed three American soldiers in Jordan.
This is the first time that US soldiers have been killed in the region since the outbreak of the war in the Gaza Strip about four months ago. The attack fueled tensions between Washington and Tehran.
US and international coalition forces have been attacked at least 165 times since mid-October in Syria and Iraq, according to the Pentagon.
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq claimed responsibility for most of these attacks. The group stresses that its attacks come in support of the Palestinians and demands the withdrawal of American forces from Iraq.