Middle-East conflict: Iraqi militia Kataeb Hezbollah reports commander killed in strike

A Tehran‑backed Iraqi militia, Kataeb Hezbollah, said on Thursday that one of its commanders was killed in a strike in southern Iraq on Wednesday, according to faction sources.

The group’s secretary‑general, Ahmad al‑Hamidawi, mourned the commander, Ali Hussein al‑Freiji, describing him as a “great commander” who had been with the movement for more than two decades.

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Two sources from the armed faction told AFP that an attack struck a vehicle near the group’s main base in southern Iraq, initially killing two fighters. The toll later rose to three with the death of the commander. One source characterised the strike as a “Zionist‑US strike.”

Meanwhile, in a related development, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said that they struck a U.S. tanker in the northern Gulf, leaving the vessel on fire. According to a statement carried by Iranian state media, the Guards emphasised that in times of war, passage through the Strait of Hormuz would be under the control of the Islamic Republic.

With inputs from AFP