HIGHMILITARY

Overnight airstrike kills Kataib Hezbollah commander Abu Ali al-Amiri and two others at Baghdad headquarters

2026-03-14 · 05:23 UTC·Karrada district, Baghdad, Iraq

An overnight strike on a Kataib Hezbollah headquarters building in Baghdad killed three people, including KH commander Abu Ali al-Amiri, according to a KH official and an Iraqi security source cited by the New York Times. The strike occurred in the Karrada district and targeted what was previously described as a residential building. The killing of a named KH commander — in addition to the simultaneous overnight drone strike on the US Embassy helipad — makes the early hours of March 14 the most intense single night of US/allied action against Iranian-aligned militias in Baghdad during the conflict.

An airstrike hit a residential building in Baghdad's Karrada district in the early hours of Saturday, killing two people and injuring two others, Iraqi officials told the Associated Press. Karrada is a mixed, centrally located district of Baghdad known as a commercial and diplomatic hub. The Iraqi military condemned the strike, calling it 'a blatant violation of humanitarian values and international conventions.' The condemnation language suggests the Iraqi government views this as a strike by a foreign actor — most likely the United States or Israel — targeting a person inside a civilian structure. Saturday has seen a concentrated pattern of Baghdad strike activity: a drone hit the US Embassy helipad (attributed to Iranian-backed militia), a Kataeb Hezbollah member was killed in a vehicle strike (attributed to US/Israeli forces), and now this Karrada house strike with two civilian or combatant fatalities. The pattern suggests both sides are conducting active targeted operations within the Iraqi capital simultaneously. The escalation of strikes within Baghdad raises significant questions about Iraqi sovereignty and the government's ability to prevent its territory from becoming a battleground between the US-Israel axis and Iranian proxy forces.

Actor responses

Iraqi PMFOPPOSINGRESPONSE

The bombardment of civilian homes in Baghdad is a war crime. The resistance will avenge every martyr. American and Israeli forces conducting strikes inside Iraq will be targeted everywhere.

United StatesNEUTRALRESPONSE

The United States does not comment on specific operations. We take all allegations of civilian harm seriously and review them in accordance with our legal obligations.

IranOPPOSINGRESPONSE

The murder of civilians in Baghdad demonstrates the true face of American aggression. Iraq's sovereignty is being violated daily by US and Israeli strikes. The resistance will hold the aggressors accountable.

Iraqi PMFOPPOSINGRESPONSE

The martyr Abu Ali al-Amiri gave his life in defense of Iraq and the resistance axis. His blood will not be wasted. We name him as a commander of Kataib Hezbollah. The response will come.