The U.S. used a multi-bladed weapon to kill Iran-backed Kataib Hezbollah leader Abu Baqr al-Saadi in February.
The U.S. targeted al-Saadi in Iraq on Feb. 7 out of retaliation for Kataib Hezbollah’s attacks against a military base in Jordan in late January that killed three U.S. troops. The weapon that was used to kill al-Saadi is a modified hellfire “flying ginsu” missile wielding six long blades, which was previously unreported in the aftermath of the strike, defense officials told The Wall Street Journal. (RELATED: Iran-Backed Attacks Are Hampering US Counter-ISIS Mission In Iraq, Watchdog Report Says)
The AGM-114 R9X hellfire missile, sometimes referred to as a Ginsu or a ninja bomb, does not contain a warhead and does not explode on impact, instead utilizing a ring of blades that shoot out seconds before impact to shred its target, according to military media outlet C4ISRNET.
#BREAKING
Drone airstrike targeted a vehicle in Mashtal neighborhood, eastern Baghdad. 🇮🇶 pic.twitter.com/Ymwva2Tpnj— Tammuz Intel (@Tammuz_Intel) February 7, 2024
The heavy missile is powerful enough to pummel through over 100 pounds of metal, according to the WSJ. In this case, the missile plowed through the roof of a car where al-Saadi was located in Baghdad, resulting in an explosion that would have likely been larger had the missile contained a warhead.
This particular missile is utilized in situations where the U.S. wants to avoid civilian casualties but still needs to kill a target, according to the WSJ. It was used against al-Saadi because U.S. officials believed he was embedding himself in crowds in Baghdad as a safety precaution.
Though it is unclear how many times the U.S. has utilized the AGM-114 R9X, it has been used to kill high-profile targets in the past, according to the WSJ. Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri was killed by the missile in 2022, and terrorist co-conspirator Jamal al-Badawi was killed by the missile in 2019.
The U.S. is carrying out “multitiered” strikes against Iranian-backed militias in the Middle East because of the groups’ hostilities in the region and the Kataib Hezbollah strike that killed three U.S. troops in Jordan in January. The U.S. and coalition forces are in conflict with several Iranian-backed militia groups throughout the Middle East region and in the Red Sea.
Conflict erupted through the Middle East region after the Iranian-backed Hamas terrorist group launched an attack against Israel on Oct. 7 and killed over 1,200 civilians. Israel is currently carrying out a massive counteroffensive against Hamas in order to eradicate the terrorist group from the region.
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