At least five U.S. personnel were injured on Monday in an attack on a military base in Iraq, according to U.S. officials. The incident comes amid high tensions in the Middle East due to senior members of militant groups Hamas and Hezbollah dying in Israeli strikes last week.
Two Katyusha rockets hit al-Asad airbase in western Iraq, per Iraqi security sources. Any connections between the attack and Iran’s threats to retaliate for the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh remain unclear.
Speaking anonymously, U.S. officials confessed that one American sustained severe injuries and warned the initial casualty reports may change. Base personnel are currently assessing the damage post-attack.
Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas, was assassinated in the Iranian capital of Tehran last week. Fuad Shukr, a senior Hezbollah commander, was also killed by a strike in Beirut, Lebanon, risking broader conflict in the Middle East.
The U.S. has been closely monitoring Iran’s potential responses to these events. U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant discussed the situation, describing the attack as “a dangerous escalation,” according to the Pentagon.
In response to the threat, the Pentagon is deploying additional fighter jets and warships to reinforce regional defenses.
Iraq hosts 2,500 U.S. troops but has Iran-backed militias within its security forces. Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are failing to ensure the safety of U.S. troops in the region, with three Americans dying and dozens wounded in a drone strike on a base in neighboring Jordan in January.
Biden-Harris Secretary of State Anthony Blinken is pleading with the Iraqi government to ask Iran to moderate its response to Haniyeh’s assassination in Tehran. U.S. troops are due to be pulled out of Iraq next month.
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