BAGHDAD, Dec. 31 (Xinhua) -- U.S. forces on Sunday attacked five locations in Iraq and Syria controlled by Iraq's paramilitary Kata'ib Hezbollah (KH), or Hezbollah Brigades, in response to recent attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq, triggering strong responses from Iraq and Syria, with Iran denying any role in the recent attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq.
The U.S. military said on Sunday that it has conducted precision defensive strikes against five KH facilities in Iraq and Syria -- three in Iraq and two in Syria -- which included "weapon storage facilities and command and control locations that KH uses to plan and execute attacks on coalition forces."
It said that the KH has a strong linkage with Iran's Quds Force and has repeatedly received lethal aid and other support from Iran.
"Iran and their KH proxy forces must cease their attacks on U.S. and coalition forces, and respect Iraq's sovereignty, to prevent additional defensive actions by U.S. forces," it added.
The Iraqi Joint Operations Command (JOC) said in a statement that three U.S. airstrikes targeted headquarters of the 45th Brigade of Hashd Shaabi (the Popular Mobilization Forces) near the border with Syria on Sunday morning, killing four Hashd Shaabi members and wounding some 30 others.
Hashd Shaabi, an Iraqi state-sponsored umbrella organization, was formed by the KH and other Shia Iraqi paramilitary groups in 2014. It currently includes more than 40 militant groups.
Hashd Shaabi said on Monday that U.S. drones bombarded in the evening its 45th Brigade near al-Qaim, a town bordering Syria, in Iraq's western province of Anbar, killing and wounding a number of the brigade's members.
The attack came two days after a rocket barrage hit K1 military camp, which houses U.S. troops, in Kirkuk province, killing a U.S. contractor and wounding others.
Military bases housing U.S. troops across Iraq and the heavily fortified Green Zone in central Baghdad have been frequently targeted by insurgents' mortar and rocket attacks.
Over 5,000 U.S. troops have been deployed in Iraq to support Iraqi forces in the battles against Islamic State (IS) militants, mainly providing training and advising to the Iraqi forces. They are part of the U.S.-led international coalition that has been conducting air raids against IS targets in both Iraq and Syria.
Iraq on Monday condemned the U.S. attack on Hashd Shaabi bases near Iraq's border with Syria, which killed 25 people and wounded 51 others.
"The Iraqi government condemns this act and considers it a violation of Iraq's sovereignty," said a statement released after an emergency session was held by the Iraqi National Security Council (INSC).
The attack "pushes Iraq to review the relationship" with the U.S.-led coalition on the security, political and legal levels, according to the statement.
Also, the Iraqi Foreign Ministry announced Monday that it will summon the U.S. ambassador in Baghdad over the U.S. attack, noting it "is seen as a blatant violation of the sovereignty of Iraq, and a condemned act, which is rejected by all norms and laws that governing relations between states."
The ministry reiterated that the Hashd Shaabi forces are Iraqi national forces, and are part of the Iraqi forces system, which are under the Commander-in-Chief of the Iraqi forces.
The Syrian Foreign Ministry on Monday condemned the U.S. airstrikes, saying the U.S. attack was "bloody".
The Syrian ministry also demanded the United States stop interfering in Iraq's domestic affairs, voicing the Syrian government's support for the Iraqi government and people.
Iran on Monday strongly denied any role in recent deadly attacks on the U.S. forces in Iraq. Iranian government spokesman Ali Rabiee said: "This unsubstantiated U.S. claim cannot justify the bombing and killing of people in violation of international regulations."
Rabiee said that the U.S. attack was another proof of its "destructive" role in the region, particularly in Iraq, and it once again showed that "as long as the U.S. keeps its uncalled-for presence in Iraq and Syria, peace will be unattainable for all."
