U.S. military officials said they are closely watching for reprisals for American air strikes in Iraq and Syria against an Iran-backed militia group, with the potential for a cycle of retaliatory actions that could inflame tensions between Washington and Tehran. The U.S. military carried out the strikes on Sunday against the Kataib Hezbollah militia group in response to the killing of a U.S. civilian contractor in a rocket attack on an Iraqi military base. On Monday, a top Iraq militia leader warned of a strong response against U.S. forces in Iraq following the air strikes that killed at least 25 people. U.S. military officials said they had little doubt the militia group would respond in some way which could lead to a new spike in tensions between the United States and long-time foe Iran. The officials said that for now U.S. forces were waiting to see what exactly the militia groups and Iran would do.

Source: The Hindu December 30, 2019 18:25 UTC