US launches cyberattack against Iranian proxy: report

The U.S. carried out a cyberattack on an Iranian proxy group, days after Tehran shot down an American drone, CNN reported Tuesday.

The aim of the alleged attack was to target the network communications of the militant group Kata'ib Hezbollah, a group backed by Tehran.

The group has forces inside Iraq, Syria, and even Iran, according to CNN.

The attack was confirmed to the news broadcast by two American officials familiar with the matter.

Kata'ib Hezbollah was first designated a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. in 2009. Washington has said the group received funding from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and training from Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The State Department cites the group claiming multiple attacks since 2007, including one on U.S. coalition forces in Baghdad in 2011 which left five American soldiers killed.

Last week, Iran shot down the American drone, which caused a spike in what were already tense relations between the two countries.

Tehran maintains the aircraft violated its airspace when it was targeted with a surface-to-air missile, a claim Washington disputes saying the drone remained over international waters in the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway critical to the global energy market. 

The US military has a list of potential targets for cyberattacks and while the President holds the final confirmation, there is a range of options available to recommend for the Pentagon chief and chairman of the Joint Chiefs.