The US military conducted retaliatory airstrikes across Iraq, targeting facilities of the Kataib Hezbollah, attempting to destroy weapons allegedly used by Iran-backed militias against coalition forces.
The US Department of Defence said in a statement that Thursday’s strikes were "defensive, proportional, and in direct response" to the threat posed by Iranian-backed Shia militia groups.
Several short clips alleging the Pentagon's responsive strikes surfaced on social media later in the day. The first vague and shaky video shows the alleged moment of a projectile's detonation. An eyewitness who caught the bombardment on video, attempts to flee the dangerous area.
Another clip is more dubious. In a night video claiming to depict "U.S air strikes", a sound alleged to be that of low-flying jets is audible. The quality of the video does not clearly indicate the region and the circumstances of the subject matter.
A third video alleges tightened security around the US embassy in Baghdad's Green Zone, where a majority of government offices are located. There has been no official statement issued by any actor regarding the videos.