Jan 2, 2020

The Donald Trump administration is willing to take preemptive strikes to protect US forces and personnel in Iraq, top Pentagon officials said today, after Iran-backed forces breached the American embassy in Baghdad earlier this week in response to Pentagon airstrikes.

"We will take preemptive action as well to protect American forces and protect American lives,” Defense Secretary Mark Esper told reporters in a Pentagon gaggle on Thursday. “The game has changed, and we’re prepared to do what is necessary to defend our personnel and our interests and our partners in the region.”

The Pentagon’s decision to leave wiggle room for preemptive strikes comes after the United States launched precision-guided bombs against five targets housing Khataib Hezbollah on Dec. 31, prompting the embassy breach.

The US administration holds the Iran-backed group responsible for an attack on a Kirkuk military facility that killed one US contractor and wounded several troops. Following the tit-for-tat, the Pentagon has reinforced the US Embassy in Baghdad with 750 paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne division and approximately 100 marines tasked with protecting American diplomats.

The Defense Department blames Iran-backed Shiite militias for “repeatedly” attacking US bases in Iraq, according to a Thursday statement from Esper and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley. The Pentagon believes the attacks are being directed by the leadership of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which the United States labels as a terrorist organization.