Biden administration says strike on Kataib Hezbollah "only the beginning" Reprisal for killing American soldiers

A US military strike on February 7 in Baghdad killed a Kataib Hezbollah commander who was responsible for attacks on American forces in the region, according to US Central Command.

The US targeted Wisam Mohammed Saber al-Saedi in the strike in Baghdad, according to three US officials. Kataib Hezbollah released a statement mourning al-Saedi, saying al-Saedi’s death “calls us to remain steadfast in the jihadist approach.”

A US official told CNN that Iraq was not notified in advance of Wednesday’s strikeout of operational security concerns, but the official emphasized that the US was clear in conversations with Iraq that it would respond to the drone attack at “a time and place of its choosing.”

Iraq’s Joint Operations Command said in a statement on X Wednesday evening that it sees the strike as a “new aggression by the United States.” Spokesperson Tahseen Al Khafaji added that the move acted to “undermine all understandings” between Iraq and the US.

A Biden administration official told CNN that the strike on the Kataib Hezbollah commander does not mark the end of a series of retaliatory actions, with more to come in the coming days in response to the killing of the three US soldiers.

A White House official said the execution of the strike itself and its timing were carefully considered to avoid any loss of innocent life – and that the US military moved to go after this commander as soon as the opportunity presented itself.

In total, the US struck more than 80 targets across seven locations in Iraq and Syria last week, including command and control operations centers, intelligence centers, logistics and supply munition supply chain facilities, rockets and missiles.