In the midst of escalating tensions in the Middle East, the Ain Al-Asad airbase in western Iraq, which houses U.S. and other international military troops, was attacked on Saturday, resulting in minor injuries to U.S. personnel.
This information was confirmed by a U.S. defense source and an Iraqi police official, as reported by AFP.
The Iraqi police official disclosed to AFP that the airbase was targeted by 15 rockets, which were launched from within the Anbar province, the southwestern Iraq region where the base is situated. He further stated that 13 of these projectiles were intercepted, but "two fell on the airbase."
The U.S. defense official corroborated the report, confirming that "missiles impacted Al-Asad airbase," and a damage assessment was underway. The identities of the injured personnel were not immediately disclosed.
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a coalition of Iran-backed militia groups opposing U.S. support of Israel in its conflict with Hamas, claimed responsibility for the attack, according to AFP. In addition to the injuries sustained by American personnel, a member of Iraqs security forces was severely wounded during the strike, a U.S. official reported.
This attack occurred against a backdrop of increasing hostilities in the Middle East, with Iran-linked targets across the region being bombarded on Saturday. This follows the war between Israel and Tehran-backed Hamas that commenced on October 7.
In Damascus, the Syrian capital, an Israeli missile strike on Saturday reportedly eliminated five members of Irans Revolutionary Guards, including the head of the elite forces information unit. Subsequently, a separate drone strike in the Lebanese city of Tyre targeted a car, killing two members of Hezbollah.
Since October 7, U.S. military forces in Iraq have been attacked at least 58 times by Tehran proxy militia forces, with an additional 83 attacks in Syria, in retaliation for US support of Israel.
The U.S. currently has 900 troops stationed in Syria and another 2,500 in Iraq, advising local forces on how to suppress any potential resurgence of the Islamic State, which seized significant territory in both countries in 2014 before its eventual defeat.
The Iraqi government is grappling with the prospect of becoming a battleground between the U.S., Israel, and Iran. Following a US drone strike in Baghdad, which was condemned by the Iraqi government, the office of Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani announced plans to evict American forces from the country.
The Pentagon stated that the drone strike resulted in the death of a militia leader responsible for recent attacks on U.S. personnel. It also noted that it has not received any official communication from Baghdad regarding the expulsion of its troops, and that its presence in the country is at the invitation of the Iraqi government.
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