• The Pentagon claims the commander was responsible for directing attacks on American forces in the region.
• Since the beginning of the Israel-Gaza war, assailants have targeted the US with more than 165 rocket and drone strikes.
• The Pentagon states that the US has 2,500 troops in Iraq and 900 in Syria.

A US drone strike in Baghdad has killed a senior commander of an Iran-backed militia, along with two of his guards. The strike targeted a vehicle in the eastern part of the Iraqi capital, resulting in the deaths of all three individuals.

The Pentagon has stated that the commander was responsible for directing attacks on American forces in the region.

The US has connected the militia to a drone attack in Jordan last month, which resulted in the deaths of three US troops. Following that attack, Kataib Hezbollah announced the suspension of attacks on American troops to avoid causing “embarrassment” to the Iraqi government.

Wednesday night’s drone raid occurred in Baghdad’s Mashtal neighborhood, causing several loud explosions. The strike precisely targeted a moving vehicle on a busy street, reducing the car to a fiery wreck.

One of the victims identified is Abu Baqir al-Saadi, a senior commander in Kataib Hezbollah.

US Central Command (Centcom) stated that the attack, which took place at 21:30 local time (18:30 GMT), had killed the “commander responsible for directly planning and participating in attacks on US forces in the region.”

“There are no indications of collateral damage or civilian casualties at this time,” the Centcom statement said.

Days after the US launched 85 strikes in the Iraq-Syria border area in retaliation for the fatal 28 January drone attack on American troops at a base in Jordan, President Joe Biden described last Friday’s wave of attacks as just the beginning of the US response.

The drone raid in the Iraqi capital will be seen as a major escalation.

However, it was perhaps inevitable that the American strategy would include targeting not only the infrastructure used by the groups but also their senior leaders.

Shortly after Wednesday’s attack, militias in the country called for retaliation against the US.

Harakat al Nujaba – another group blamed for attacks against American troops – released a statement promising a “targeted retaliation”, adding that “these crimes will not go unpunished,” according to AFP.

On 4 January, the US launched an airstrike in Baghdad that killed a senior leader of Harakat al Nujaba.

American forces have been hit with more than 165 rocket and drone strikes since the Israel-Gaza war began on 7 October.

The Pentagon states that the US has some 2,500 troops in Iraq and 900 in neighboring Syria in a mission to combat the Islamic State terror group.

The American military has also recently launched attacks against the Iran-aligned Houthi group in Yemen, in response to attacks against commercial ships in the Red Sea.

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