Cairo: Bahrain has voiced backing for US air strikes against an Iran-allied militia in Iraq and Syria, saying the attack was in response to “repeated criminal acts” of the group.

On Sunday, the US said it carried out “precise defensive strikes” at five sites of the Kataib Hezbollah (Hezbollah Battalions) blamed for a rocket attack on Friday on a military base in Iraq that left a US contractor dead.

“The Kingdom of Bahrain lauds the important strategic role that the friendly US is undertaking in confronting the terrorist groups in the region,” the Bahraini Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Manama, an ally of Washington, also renewed its support for US moves to safeguard security and peace in the region and the world at large.

The US keeps troops in Iraq as part of an international coalition for fighting terrorists of the self-styled Islamic State.

Sunday’s strikes targeted three locations of Hezbollah Battalions in Iraq and two others in neighbouring Syria, according to the Pentagon.