Kataib Hezbollah vows ‘long war of attrition’ against US after fighters killed

BAGHDAD — Kataib Hezbollah on Saturday threatened to launch a “long war of attrition” against the American presence in Iraq and the region, hours after two of its fighters were killed in airstrikes on military sites in Jurf al-Nasr north of Babil.

“There is no place for neutrality,” the Iran-aligned militia said in a statement, framing the confrontation as a decisive battle. “Either you are in the trench of truth and support its people, or you engage in the front of falsehood and stand with the oppressors.”

The group said it aims to ensure “we leave no American presence in the region in general and especially in Iraq, for this is the day of reckoning.” It also called on allied factions in Palestine, Lebanon and Syria to “penetrate deep into the entity,” referring to Israel.

The militia held funeral processions Saturday for the two fighters it said were killed when airstrikes hit Jurf al-Nasr earlier in the day. The Joint Operations Command said the strikes killed two people and wounded three. A second round of airstrikes hit the same area later in the evening.

Hundreds of protesters gathered near Baghdad’s Green Zone Saturday to denounce the U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran, waving Iranian and factional flags. Security forces blocked access to key bridges and prevented attempts to approach the Green Zone.

The developments follow coordinated U.S. and Israeli strikes on multiple targets inside Iran and subsequent Iranian missile and drone launches across the region, including in Iraq. Iraq has closed its airspace, and the U.S. Embassy has advised American citizens to shelter in place.