Overview
- U.S. Central Command says American forces have taken action in Iraq against Iran-backed groups and have used AH-64 Apache helicopters to suppress threats to U.S. personnel and interests.
- Kataib Hezbollah announced a conditional, temporary halt to strikes on the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad on March 19, and no new attacks on the compound have been reported since.
- Airstrikes on March 19 hit Popular Mobilization Forces sites in Baghdad, Salah al Din, Nineveh and Anbar, including units tied to Harakat Hezbollah al Nujaba and the Badr Organization, with the PMF blaming the United States and Israel.
- Kataib Hezbollah said senior commander and spokesman Abu Ali al Askari was killed in a Baghdad strike, reflecting a shift toward targeting militia leadership.
- Badr leader Hadi al Amiri reports more than 60 PMF fighters killed since February 28, while Iran has also launched drones and missiles into Iraqi Kurdistan.