page_title: December 2019 United States airstrikes in Iraq and Syria
section_title: Aftermath
hierarchical_section_title: December 2019 United States airstrikes in Iraq and Syria / Aftermath
caption_attribution_description: Secretary of Defense Mark Esper is joined by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, left, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark A. Milley, as he addresses reporters Sunday, Dec. 29, 2019, at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla., about the U.S. military defensive strikes against Iranian supported militias in Iraq and Syria. (Official White House Photo by Tia Dufour)
context_page_description: 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 coalition forces, particularly the 27 December 2019 attack on a Kirkuk airbase that left an American civilian contractor dead. Kata'ib Hezbollah, a Shi'ite Muslim militia which has links to Iran, denied any responsibility for the attacks.
  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 Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.
context_section_description: Following the strikes on 29 December, U.S. officials warned that further actions could be undertaken to defend U.S. interests and "deter further bad behavior from militia groups or from Iran". U.S. President Donald Trump was briefed before and after the strikes by his national security advisors and was informed that a further military response could be warranted.
  In a statement, U.S. Assistant to the Secretary of Defense Jonathan Hoffman called the strikes "defensive" and stated that they were in retaliation to prior Kata'ib Hezbollah attacks on both Operation Inherent Resolve coalition forces and their Iraqi partners in prior weeks and months. Hoffman also asserted that the militia has received weapons from Iran's Quds Force that have been used to attack OIR forces. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo considered the attacks a warning against any actions by Iran that endangers the lives of Americans.
caption: U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley brief reporters on the airstrikes, 29 December 2019
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