| December 2019 United States airstrikes in Iraq and Syria | |
|---|---|
| Part of the American-led interventions in Iraq and Syria (Operation Inherent Resolve) | |
| Type | Airstrikes |
| Locations | Valley of Euphrates River, Syria[1] |
| Target |  Kata'ib Hezbollah |
| Date | 29 December 2019 11:00 a.m. (EST) (UTC-05:00) |
| Executed by |  United States
|
| Outcome | See Aftermath |
| Casualties | 19 (Iraq)
6 (Syria)[2] killed 55+[2] injured |
On 29 December 2019, the United States conducted airstrikes against Kata'ib Hezbollah's weapons depots and command centers in Iraq and Syria, reportedly killing at least 25 militiamen and wounding 55 more. The U.S. Department of Defense said the operation was in retaliation for repeated attacks on Iraqi military bases hosting Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR) coalition forces, particularly the 27 December 2019 attack on a Kirkuk airbase that left an American civilian contractor dead.[3][4] Kata'ib Hezbollah, an extremist Shi'ite militia funded by Iran,[5] denied any responsibility for the attacks.[6]
The unilateral U.S. airstrikes were condemned by the Iraqi government, Iraqi Armed Forces personnel, and Iran, and culminated in the U.S. embassy in Baghdad being attacked by Iraqi militiamen and their supporters on 31 December 2019. This in turn led to a U.S. airstrike near Baghdad International Airport on 3 January 2020, killing Iranian general Qasem Soleimani and Kata'ib Hezbollah commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.
- ^ U.S. Launches Airstrikes on Iranian-Backed Forces in Iraq and Syria Archived 1 January 2020 at the Wayback Machine en: The New York Times. Consultado el 29-12-2019.
- ^ a b "Iraq Condemns US Air Strikes as Unacceptable and Dangerous". Asharq AL-awsat. Archived from the original on 30 December 2019. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
- ^ "Statement From Assistant to the Secretary of Defense Jonathan Hoffman". U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE. Archived from the original on 31 December 2019. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
MaraLagowas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Irish, John; Rasheed, Ahmed (31 August 2018). "Iran moves missiles to Iraq in warning to enemies – sources". Euronews. Archived from the original on 1 January 2020. Retrieved 2 September 2018.
- ^ Rubin, Alissa J.; Hubbard, Ben (30 December 2019). "American Airstrikes Rally Iraqis Against U.S." The New York Times. Archived from the original on 1 January 2020. Retrieved 1 January 2020 – via NYTimes.com.