US troops injured in major missile attack in Iraq
- The US personnel suffered minor injuries and a member of Iraq’s security forces was seriously wounded in the attack on Iraq’s Ain al-Asad air base, a US official said.
- Iraqi security sources said the base was hit by multiple rockets fired from inside the country.
- Since the Israel-Hamas war began in October, the US military has come under attack from Iran-backed militants at least 58 times in Iraq and another 83 times in Syria, usually with a mix of rockets and one-way attack drones.
- A security source told Reuters that the building struck in Damascus had been used by Iranian advisors supporting Syrian president Bashar al-Assad’s government, and that it was completely destroyed by “precision-targeted Israeli missiles.”
- The source said a fifth person was also killed, but could not identify the nationality.
- A local hospital said that some people had arrived with injuries following the attack.
Iran launched its first direct military attacks since war broke out in October between Israel and Hamas, raising concerns that fighting could spillover into the broader Middle East region.
Within less than two days, Iran launched three direct strikes into foreign territory, hitting targets in Iraq, Syria and Pakistan with missiles and drones.
“We are a missile power in the world,” Mohammed Reza Ashtiani, Iran’s defence minister said, in comments carried on state media.
“Whenever they want to threaten the Islamic Republic of Iran, we will react, and this reaction will definitely be proportionate, tough and decisive.”
Iraqi base housing US troops attacked with ‘barrage of missiles’
Ain al-Asad base was targeted with “15 rockets,” 13 of them were shot down by US air defenses and “two fell on the airbase,” an Iraqi police official told AFP.
A US defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed to AFP that “missiles impacted” the airbase and an assessment of the damage was underway.
At least one member of the Iraqi security forces was injured, according to both Reuters and AFP.
Yehia Rasool, military spokesperson for Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani, told state media that several rockets "landed" near the headquarters of the Iraqi army's 29th Brigade of the Seventh Division, within Ain al-Asad base.
An Iraqi soldier was injured in the strike and the headquarters was damaged, said Rasool. The base houses an Iraqi military headquarters and a training camp.
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a network of shadow Iraqi militia groups backed by Iran, has claimed responsibility. In a statement, the group said it attacked Ain al-Asad with a “barrage of missiles” and “reaffirmed its commitment to striking the enemy’s strongholds.”
Sabreen News, affiliated with Iran-backed militia groups, reported that there were casualties among US troops and denied any injury among Iraq’s security forces.
US interests in Iraq and Syria have come under about 140 rocket and drone attacks since October 17 by Iraqi militia groups condemning the American government’s support for Israel in its war on the Gaza Strip. The Islamic Resistance in Iraq has claimed responsibility for the majority of them.
On Thursday the group said it launched a drone strike on a base housing the US-led coalition against Islamic State (ISIS) near Erbil International Airport. The drone was shot down and destroyed according to Kurdistan’s Directorate General of Counter Terrorism (CTD).
The attack on Ain al-Asad base comes hours after five Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) military advisors were killed in an Israeli strike in the Syrian capital of Damascus.
Updated at 9:17 pm with the statement from the Iraqi PM military spokesperson
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