(Cupventi.com) – Several US personnel were injured in a suspected rocket attack on Monday targeting US and coalition forces at Al-Asad Airbase in Iraq, according to a US defense official.
“We can confirm that there was a suspected rocket attack today against US and Coalition forces at Al-Asad Airbase, Iraq,” the official stated. “Initial indications are that several US personnel were injured. Base personnel are conducting a post-attack damage assessment.”
This incident occurs amid heightened tensions in the Middle East, as the US anticipates potential Iranian retaliation against Israel following the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last week. Israel has not commented on Haniyeh’s killing. Additionally, Hezbollah in Lebanon has vowed retaliation against Israel after the assassination of one of its top commanders in Beirut, which occurred less than a day before Haniyeh’s killing.
The attack also follows Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s recent order to deploy additional military assets to the region, including a carrier strike group, a fighter squadron, and additional warships.
While the perpetrators of the rocket attack remain unidentified, US officials have consistently attributed attacks on troops in Iraq and Syria to Iran-backed militia groups. Last month, after a drone attack on Al-Asad, Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh indicated that it was “most likely” carried out by Iranian-supported groups.
“We know that these are IRGC-backed militias that have launched these attacks on US forces in the past. Most likely than not, it is one of those affiliate groups,” Singh stated on July 18.
From October 17 to January 29, over 150 attacks were directed at US personnel in Iraq and Syria. These attacks decreased following a drone strike on a small US outpost in Jordan that killed three American troops, prompting a significant US response that targeted 85 locations at seven different sites.
“The United States does not seek conflict in the Middle East or anywhere else in the world,” President Biden remarked at the time. “But let all those who might seek to do us harm know this: If you harm an American, we will respond.”