Washington responded to a Wednesday attack by an Iranian-backed militia on a military base in Iraq the only right way: with Friday airstrikes.

US forces hit structures across Iraq linked to Kataib Hezbollah, including facilities where weapons used to attack US and coalition troops had been stored.

“The United States will not tolerate attacks against our people, our interests or our allies,” said Defense Secretary Mark Esper. “As we have demonstrated in recent months, we will take any action necessary to protect our forces in Iraq and the region.”

The militia’s Wednesday rocket attack on the Camp Taji military base, just north of Baghdad, killed two Americans and one Brit. Dozens more were injured.

Kataib Hezbollah was also responsible for a rocket attack on a base in Kirkuk in December, which killed a US contractor. That attack also prompted US airstrikes, which in turn led to protests at the US embassy in Baghdad. Other US retaliation for Iran’s proxy assaults included the January drone strike near the Baghdad airport, which took out Gen. Qassem Soleimani — Tehran’s point man for ordering all its proxies around the globe.

Iran now faces multiple crises: Renewed internal protests, huge financial strains from US sanctions and the big drop in oil prices — and a COVID-19 epidemic that has infected several top leaders and has Tehran digging mass graves near its epicenter. It’s beyond time for the regime to quit trying to dig its way out of disaster with external aggression.