US Launches Retaliatory Strikes Against Militias in Iraq

President Joe Biden ordered retaliatory airstrikes against Iranian-backed militias in Iraq on Tuesday after a drone attack on Erbil Air Base wounded 3 U.S. service members.

The Details: The airstrikes targeted “three locations utilized by Kataib Hezbollah and affiliated groups” and “focused specifically on unmanned aerial drone activities.” However, the Iraqi government said the strikes killed one of its service members and wounded 18 others. Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani’s office called the U.S. strikes “hostile acts” that violated Iraq’s sovereignty. 

For Context: The U.S. designated Kataib Hezbollah, a Shia militant group, a terrorist organization in 2009. A senior Kataib Hezbollah official quoted by The Washington Post (Lean Left bias) said the group’s initial attacks were carried out because it opposed America’s support for Israel and continued troop presence in Iraq. Other militant groups, like the Houthis, have also launched rocket and drone attacks against Western forces in the region since the war in Gaza began.

How the Media Covered It: Some headlines in right-rated outlets simply noted “Hezbollah” attacks, potentially conflating the Iraq-based Kataib Hezbollah with the Hezbollah that acts as a political party and militant group in Lebanon. While most coverage was fairly similar, The Washington Post stood out by prominently noting growing “anger in the Middle East” over Gaza’s 20,000-person death toll. Al Jazeera (Lean Left bias) stood out by saying Kataib Hezbollah’s attacks were merely “blamed on” them.