The Iraqi government, supported by pro-Tehran factions, decried an “aggression” It accused a US-led international coalition but stopped short of pinning the blame on Washington, as regional tensions soar amid the Israel-Hamas war JEDDAH: Al-Shaabi militia in Iraq was among four people killed on Thursday in a US drone strike in Baghdad. Mushtaq Talib Al-Saidi was deputy commander of operations in the Iraqi capital for Harakat Al-Nujaba, one of the array of armed factions that make up the former paramilitary group. Witnesses said a drone fired at least two rockets that hit a vehicle inside Al-Nujaba headquarters. Video footage online showed the destroyed vehicle in flames and columns of smoke rising above the area of the strike in Palestine Street, a bustling commercial road. The site was cordoned off by Hashd forces, who blocked access to the area. “A drone targeted the logistical support headquarters of Hashd Al-Shaabi,” an Iraqi security official said. There have been more than 100 attacks against US targets in Iraq and Syria since mid-October. Many have been claimed by the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a loose alliance of Iran-linked armed groups that oppose US support for Israel in the Gaza war. FASTFACT There have been more than 100 attacks against US targets in Iraq and Syria since mid-October. The US has about 2,500 troops in Iraq and 900 in Syria as part of the multinational coalition fighting Daesh since 2014. It has responded to attacks by launching airstrikes targeting sites used by Iran and its proxy forces in Iraq and Syria, including the Hashd. Last month, the US carried out retaliatory airstrikes in Iraq after a drone attack by Iran-aligned militants left one US service member in critical condition and injured two others. A US official said its forces had carried out Thursday’s attack on Al-Saidi’s vehicle, and the militia commander had been the intended target. “The United States is continuing to take action to protect our forces in Iraq and Syria by addressing the threats they face,” the official said. The Iraqi government, which is supported by pro-Tehran factions, condemned the “blatant aggression.” Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani accused the US-led anti-Daesh coalition of “a dangerous escalation and assault.” His office said: “The Iraqi armed forces hold the international coalition forces responsible for this unjustified attack on an Iraqi security entity.” Al-Sudani has limited control over some Iran-backed factions, whose support he needed to win power a year ago and who now form a powerful bloc in his governing coalition. Hadi Al-Ameri, a senior Hashd commander, condemned a “heinous crime committed by the criminal American forces” and demanded the “immediate departure” of the coalition. Abu Aqeel Al-Moussawi, another militia commander, said: “We will retaliate and make the Americans regret this aggression.”