Iran-backed Kataib Hezbollah commander killed in U.S. drone strike in Iraq

A senior commander in the Iranian-backed Kataib Hezbollah terror organization was killed in a U.S. drone strike in Iraq on Wednesday.

Hezbollah Brigades Commander Abu Baqir al-Saadi was eliminated in the U.S. strike, as Iran's terror proxies in the Middle East have continued to escalate their attacks on U.S. forces in the region.

The senior terror commander was traveling in a vehicle when it was reportedly struck by a U.S. drone in the eastern part of the Iraqi capital Baghdad.

"(US) forces conducted a unilateral strike in Iraq in response to the attacks on US service members, killing a Kataib Hezbollah commander responsible for directly planning and participating in attacks on US forces in the region,” the U.S. military confirmed in an official statement.

American officials noted that there were no indications of any civilian casualties in the precision attack.

The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) warned that Washington would continue responding to any attacks on U.S. forces in the region.

“We will not hesitate to hold responsible all those who threaten our forces’ safety,” CENTCOM stated.

In late January, the Iranian-backed terror group Kataib Hezbollah attacked an American military base at the Syrian-Jordanian border, killing 3 American troops and wounding an additional 34 soldiers.

U.S. President Joe Biden quickly condemned “this despicable and wholly unjust attack” in a statement.

"Have no doubt – we will hold all those responsible to account at a time and in a manner our choosing,” Biden vowed.

The Iraqi government condemned the U.S. drone strike as a “flagrant violation of Iraq’s sovereignty.”

Iraqi authorities also claimed that up to 16 people including civilians were killed in the U.S. drone strike.

“The United States’ aggression against Al-Qa’im in Anbar Governorate and other Iraqi border areas in the west of the country, which resulted in the deaths of many Iraqi citizens, represents a flagrant violation of Iraq’s sovereignty,” the Iraqi government said in an official statement.

"Despite the Iraqi government’s repeated denouncements of such actions, these attacks further escalate tensions and threaten regional security and stability,” the statement added.

Following the Hamas terror group's attack on Oct. 7, Iranian-backed terror proxies have dramatically escalated their attacks on U.S. forces in the region. Some pundits believe attacks are designed to ultimately push the United States out of the Middle East region, thereby enabling Iran to cement its regional domination.

While the Biden administration has recognized Iran’s fingerprints on the multiple regional attacks targeting American and Western interests, Washington simultaneously denies the regime is directly involved in the attacks. Furthermore, the Biden administration has stressed it seeks to avoid a regional war.

The head of Iran’s elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Hossein Salami, recently warned Washington that the Islamic regime would respond to any American “threat.”

“We hear threats coming from American officials, we tell them that they have already tested us and we now know one another, no threat will be left unanswered,” the senior Iranian military commander stated, according to Iran's Tasnim state news agency.