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(CNN) - Iran warned the United States about “consequences” after Washington carried out air strikes against an Iran-backed militia group in Iraq.
The United States "has openly shown its support for terrorism and has shown its negligence against the independence and national sovereignty of the countries," said Abbas Mosavi, a spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran, according to the state news agency IRNA.
"You must accept responsibility for the consequences of illegal attacks," the official added.
At least 25 people died and 51 were injured during the airstrikes against five facilities controlled by the Kataib Hezbollah group in Iraq and Syria this Sunday.
Kataib Hezbollah is a group of militias that is under the Shiite Popular Mobilization Forces backed by Iran in Iraq.
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The US attacks represent the country's first significant military response in retaliation for the offensive by the militia group that has injured many US military personnel, according to US officials.
Hezbollah, Lebanon's political and militant group linked to Iran, also condemned US airstrikes.
Lebanese Hezbollah said the attack was "a flagrant violation of the sovereignty, security and stability of Iraq and the Iraqi people," according to a statement issued Monday on the al-Manar group's television channel.
"This aggression reaffirms that the US administration wants to attack the potential underlying powers of the Iraqi people, which is capable of confronting ISIS and the powers of extremism and crime," reads the statement.
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"The US administration reveals its true face as an enemy of Iraq and the interest of the Iraqi people and their aspiration for freedom, true sovereignty and a secure future," he added.
Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman described the attacks against the group as "precision defensive attacks" that will "degrade" the group's ability to carry out future attacks against coalition forces.
Tensions between the US and Iran increased during 2019, while Washington tightened economic pressure on Tehran through its "maximum pressure" campaign and Iran responded with what it calls "maximum resistance."
Tehran's resistance has taken the form of a gradually reduced compliance with the international nuclear agreement that the United States left in May 2018 and a regional provocation campaign that began to intensify in May.
Ramin Mostaghim, Nada AlTaher and Kareem Khadder, all of CNN, contributed to this report.
Attack on SyriaIraqInternational relations