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>> US drone kills Iran-backed militia commander in Baghdad >> Washington and Iran close to all-out conflict, fear experts

- CHRIS HUGHES

A US drone strike killed a senior militant in Baghdad, to take Washington and Tehran closer to war.

Kataib Hezbollah commander Abu Baqir al-Saadi and two of his guards were fatally injured in the precision attack on their vehicle.

The militia is said to have been behind a drone strike that killed three US soldiers in Jordan.

Al-Saadi was blown up in the Mashtal neighbourhood in eastern Baghdad on Wednesday evening.

The blast sparked militia calls for attacks on the American embassy in Iraq's capital, as the US put all of its Middle East bases on high alert.

The latest violence, sparked by the war in Gaza, is fuelling tensions between the US and Iran, with the risk of all-out conflict.