U.S. retaliates against Iranian militias in Iraq

U.S. fighter jets on Thursday struck five weapons storage sites belonging to the Iranian-backed Kataib Hezbollah militia in Iraq. Pentagon spokeswoman Alyssa Farah said the launches will “significantly degrade their ability to conduct future attacks against the U.S. and coalition forces.”

What triggered the attack? On Wednesday evening, about 18 rockets hit the Taji military base north of Baghdad, killing two Americans and one British soldier. The United States has blamed Kataib Hezbollah for other similar attacks in the past. British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said his country supported the U.S. response as an effort to defend its interests in Iraq.

Dig deeper: Read Mindy Belz’s report in Globe Trot on the motivation behind the militia attacks in Iraq.