US kills five members of Iran-backed militia

(CNN) — The US military killed at least five members of a pro-Iranian militia “following the identification” of a “sudden strike” to be launched from Kirkuk, Iraq, on Sunday.

It was not immediately clear which group the soldiers killed on Sunday belonged to.

The number of attacks by Iranian-backed militias against U.S. and coalition forces in Iraq and Syria has increased to 76 since Oct. 17, a defense official told CNN.

The latest attack occurred Sunday morning, when several rockets were fired against US and coalition forces in Syria’s Rumal assembly area; There was no damage to infrastructure or injuries.

Almost daily attacks on US and coalition forces by Iranian-backed groups began in the weeks following the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel.

In recent months, the U.S. has responded to almost daily attacks in eastern Syria and Iraq with bombing raids against weapons depots and storage facilities used by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and its allied militias.

is in America increased its military presence in the region In an effort to send a strong message to deter Iran or other actors from escalating the conflict between Israel and Hamas, it deployed across the region, deploying two aircraft carrier strike groups, an amphibious readiness group and an expeditionary force of naval and ground forces, and additional air defense systems.

The US has carried out several airstrikes in Syria and Iraq since October 17, targeting facilities linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and its allied groups.

Although U.S. officials have repeatedly said the blockade is working to contain the conflict between Israel and Hamas, attacks on U.S. assets and commercial shipping show no sign of abating.

Iranian-backed groups continued their drone and rocket attacks in Iraq and Syria and launched at least one ballistic missile attack. Last month, America shot dead to an unknown number of hostile forces after multiple short-range ballistic missiles were launched against US and coalition forces at Iraq’s Al-Assad Air Base.

Drone and ballistic missile attacks on ships continue. On Sunday, the USS Carney, an Arleigh-Burke-class destroyer, At least three drones were shot down Yemen from Iran-backed Houthi rebels in the southern Red Sea. Carney also responded to distress calls from commercial vessels in the area hit by ballistic missiles.

On Friday, Carney shot down a drone headed in the direction of the ship from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen, a week earlier. They launched two ballistic missiles Towards the USS Mason in the Gulf of Aden.

A U.S. Central Command news release on Sunday clarified that although the attacks in Yemen were launched by the Houthis, Iran “has every reason to believe that the United States has fully implemented these attacks.”

“The United States will consider all appropriate responses in full coordination with its allies and international partners,” the statement said.

This story has been updated with additional information.