Shafaq News / The Speaker of the Iraqi parliament, Muhammad al-Halbousi, condemned on Monday the bombing on of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), which left a number of dead and wounded, considering this targeting a violation of Iraqi sovereignty.

Al -Halbousi said in a statement today, "while we call for restraint, we renew our call for all forces to be under the command of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces."

He stressed "the need to commit to providing protection for diplomatic missions and international coalition forces that are present on Iraqi soil at the request and approval of the government, and to unite efforts to complete the war against ISIS."

The US Defense Secretary announced on Monday that the strikes against pro-Iranian Hezbollah bases in Iraq and Syria were successful, and he did not rule out any further steps "if necessary."

"The strikes were successful," Mark Esper told reporters after raids by US F-15 fighters on five targets linked to Hezbollah in western Iraq and in eastern Syria. "We will take further measures if necessary in order to act in self-defense and deter the militias or Iran" from committing hostile acts, he added.

Esper pointed out that the targets that were chosen were command and control facilities belonging to the Hezbollah Brigades or weapons caches.

For his part, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that senior national security advisers informed President Donald Trump of the air attacks launched by the United States against what US officials described as an Iranian-sponsored group in Iraq and Syria.

"We will not condone actions by the Islamic Republic of Iran, which endangers American men and women," Pompeo told reporters after Trump briefed on the attacks in Palm Beach, Florida.

Hezbollah Brigades intelligence

"We are in a state of constant mobilization and we are discussing the appropriate response mechanism from the options available to us regarding the heinous American crime against PMF," the intelligence said in a statement today.

"Our battle today with America and its mercenaries has become open to all possibilities, and today we have no choice but confrontation, and there are no accounts that will prevent us from responding to the crime of targeting the homeland protectors of the people of the popular crowd," the statement added.

"Let Trump know that he will pay a heavy price in Iraq and in the countries where his criminal forces are present," the statement added.

High toll

Meanwhile, Director of the Movements Directorate in the Popular Mobilization Authority, Jawad Kazim Al-Rabaiwi, announced on Monday that the death toll and the number of people injured have increased due to the American bombing that targeted locations of the Popular Mobilization Forces in western Anbar.

"The death toll from the brutal attack on the headquarters of the 45th and 46th brigades was 25 dead and 51 wounded," Rabiawi said in a statement, adding that "the death toll can be increased due to the presence of wounded in critical condition and severe injuries."

US forces launched a series of raids on Sunday against Hezbollah bases, killing and wounding dozens of fighters, two days after a missile attack that led for the first time to the death of an American in Iraq.

The raids come two months after an unprecedented escalation in the level of missile attacks targeting American interests in Iraq.

Since October 28, there have been 11 attacks on Iraqi military bases that include American soldiers or diplomats, leading to the targeting of the US embassy in the security-fortified Green Zone in Baghdad.