The U.S. on Monday attacked multiple facilities in Iraq used by the paramilitary group Hezbollah in retaliation for drone attacks on U.S. facilities in northern Iraq earlier in the day, according to a statement released by the U.S. Department of Defense.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said the strikes were carried out at the direction of President Joe Biden, The Associated Press reported.
The strikes, Austin said, were in response to attacks carried out by Hezbollah against coalition forces in the region. One of those attacks was on Erbil Air Base earlier on Monday, which injured three U.S. personnel.
Austin said one service member was in critical condition after the attack, according to a statement from the Defense secretary.
“My prayers are with the brave Americans who were injured,” Austin said in his statement.
“And let me be clear — the President and I will not hesitate to take necessary action to defend the United States, our troops, and our interests,” his statement continued. “There is no higher priority. While we do not seek to escalate conflict in the region, we are committed and fully prepared to take further necessary measures to protect our people and our facilities.”
The Iranian-backed militant group had earlier claimed credit for using a one-way attack drone to target the U.S. forces on Erbil Air Base on Monday morning, according to Reuters.
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