"US-Led Drone Strike in Baghdad Kills Militia Leader, Escalates Iraq Tensions"
An airstrike in central Baghdad killed Mushtaq Taleb al-Saidi, a leader of the Iran-backed Popular Mobilization Force, escalating regional tensions amidst the Israel-Hamas conflict. The Iraqi military blamed the International Coalition Forces for the attack, which also killed another militia official and wounded five. The U.S. has not commented, and the strike increases pressure on U.S. forces to leave Iraq. The PMF has been involved in over 100 attacks on U.S. troops in retaliation for U.S. support of Israel, and the Iraqi Prime Minister has expressed intentions to end the coalition forces' presence in Iraq.