President Donald Trump on Monday denied reports that the top U.S. military officer had flagged the risks of a major operation against Iran, saying Washington would "easily" defeat Tehran in any conflict.

Trump said on Truth Social that General Dan Caine "like all of us, would like not to see War but, if a decision is made on going against Iran at a Military level, it is his opinion that it will be something easily won."

Iraqi prime ministerial candidate Nouri al-Maliki told AFP on Monday that maintaining a good relationship with the U.S. is essential but that Baghdad's ties with Iran are defined by shared interests.

"I believe that a relationship with the American side is essential for Iraq's progress," Maliki said, adding that he rejects claims his relationship with the U.S. was bad during his first two terms in power from 2006 to 2014.

The Mexican army announced Sunday that it had killed powerful drug lord Nemesio "El Mencho" Oseguera in an operation that sparked a wave of violence in various parts of the country.

The United States began withdrawing on Monday from a major base in Syria still under the control of Kurdish forces, a Kurdish official who requested anonymity told AFP.

An AFP team saw a convoy of dozens of trucks, loaded with armored vehicles and prefabricated structures, on a road linking the Qasrak base in Hasakeh province to the border with Iraq.

Iran said Monday that any U.S. attack, including limited strikes, would be an "act of aggression" that would precipitate a response, after President Donald Trump said he was considering a limited strike on Iran.

"And with respect to your first question concerning the limited strike, I think there is no limited strike," foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said at a briefing in Tehran attended by an AFP journalist.

Hezbollah warned that it would have no choice but to fight on after an Israeli strike on targets in Lebanon killed eight of its operatives.

Lebanon's government has vowed to disarm Hezbollah, but Israel insists it retains the right to defend itself by striking the Iran-backed militant group.

U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff said that U.S. President Donald Trump is questioning why Iran has not "capitulated" in the face of Washington's military build-up aimed at pressuring them into a nuclear deal.

Arab and Islamic countries issued a joint condemnation of remarks by U.S. ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, who suggested Israel had a biblical right to a vast swath of the Middle East.

Huckabee, a former Baptist minister and a fervent Israel supporter, was speaking on the podcast of far-right commentator and Israel critic Tucker Carlson.

Iranian students chanted anti-government slogans and scuffled with counter-protesters in the latest display of anger at the country's clerical leaders, who also face a U.S. military build-up aimed at pressuring them into a nuclear deal.

Attacks carried out by Israel on Friday in eastern Lebanon killed eight members of Hezbollah, an official from the group told AFP on Saturday.