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Live from NPR News in Washington. I'm Janine Hurst.

The U.S. and UK military launched strikes on Iran-linked targets in Yemen

in response to increased Iranian-backed Houthi's illegal activities in the region.

This comes a day after the U.S. struck targets in Iraq and Syria.

The expanded military action comes in the wake of a drone attack that killed three American soldiers last Sunday at a remote base in Jordan.

US-N-COM also says forces today conducted strikes against 36 Huthy targets in 13 locations

in Iranian-backed Huthy terrorist-controlled areas of Yemen.

The strikes are focused on those targets in that part of Yemen that were used to attack U.S. warships and commercial

vessels in the Red Sea. Meanwhile, Iraq is last ships and

commercial vessels in the Red Sea.

Meanwhile, Iraq is lashing out at the United States

for that series of strikes inside Iraq

against Iranian-backed militias.

And Piers Jane Araff has more from Baghdad.

The Iraqi government is in a tough position because Iran-backed parties and militias are major political and security players.

Government spokesman, Basim al-O- Awadi, called the strikes a blatant

aggression which were driving Iraq to the abyss. He said US forces in Iraq had now

become a threat to the country's stability.

Iraq declared three days of mourning for the 16 fighters and civilians that said were killed

in the attacks.

...