A US-led coalition military base in Iraq was attacked by pro-Iranian militants on Saturday night, injuring several US and Iraqi personnel. According to a report by media outlets, the attack was claimed by the “Islamic Resistance in Iraq”, a group of armed factions loyal to Iran, who said they were retaliating for US support of Israel in the ongoing Gaza war.
The US Central Command said that the militants launched several ballistic missiles and rockets at the Al-Assad airbase in western Iraq, where US troops are stationed to fight the Islamic State (IS) group. Most of the projectiles were intercepted by the base’s air defense systems, but some hit the base, causing damage and casualties.
“Several US personnel are undergoing evaluation for traumatic brain injuries. At least one Iraqi service member was injured,” the US Central Command said in a statement.
The attack was the latest in a series of assaults on US forces and interests in Iraq and Syria by Iran-backed groups, who oppose the US presence and influence in the region. The attacks have escalated since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war on October 7, which has killed more than 2,000 people and displaced over half a million in the Gaza Strip.
The “Islamic Resistance in Iraq” said in a statement that the attack on the US base was a “message of support and solidarity” with the Palestinian people and a “warning to the American enemy and its allies” to stop their “aggression and crimes” against Gaza.
The group also warned that it would continue to target US forces and bases until they withdraw from Iraq and the region.
The US has blamed Iran for orchestrating and supplying the attacks, and has vowed to defend its personnel and partners. The US has also imposed sanctions on several Iranian officials and entities for their involvement in the attacks.
The US and Iran have been locked in a tense standoff over Iran’s nuclear program and regional activities, which have been exacerbated by the US withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal and the assassination of Iran’s top nuclear scientist in November 2020.
The US and Iran have held indirect talks in Vienna since April 2021 to revive the nuclear deal, but the talks have stalled over disagreements on sanctions relief and nuclear compliance.
The attack on the US base in Iraq also came amid a spike in violence in the Middle East, where Israel has carried out airstrikes on Iranian targets in Syria and Lebanon, killing several Iranian and allied fighters.
On Saturday, Israel said it struck a site near Damascus that was used by Iran’s elite Quds Force and its proxies. Iran confirmed that five of its members were killed in the attack, and threatened to retaliate.
On Monday, Iran launched a missile attack on a site in the Kurdish region of northern Iraq, which it said was used by Israeli spies. The attack killed at least one civilian and wounded several others.
The attacks have raised fears of a wider regional conflict that could draw in the US and its allies, as well as Russia and Turkey, who have competing interests and influence in the Middle East.
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