On Saturday, during an assault on Iraq’s Ain al-Asad air base, US personnel sustained minor injuries and a member of Iraq’s security forces was severely wounded, according to a US official.
The official, who requested anonymity, stated that while initial reports suggested that ballistic missiles targeted the base, he left open the possibility that rockets were responsible.
An evaluation was in progress, the official stated.
According to one government source and two security sources in Iraq, the base was struck by multiple missiles launched from within Iraq.
A second US official stated that militants operating within Iraq were responsible for the attack.
Since the commencement of the Israel-Hamas conflict in October, Iran-backed militants have attacked the United States military a minimum of 58 times in Iraq and an additional 83 times in Syria, employing a combination of unidirectional attack drones and missiles.
The militants aim to exact a price from the United States in exchange for its backing of Israel in its conflict with Hamas, a Palestinian militant organization sponsored by Iran.
The United States has deployed 900 personnel to Iraq and 2,500 to Syria in an effort to advise and support local forces attempting to thwart a resurgence of Islamic State, which besieged large portions of both countries in 2014 before being defeated.
The prospect of Iraq becoming a theater of war between the United States, Israel, and Iran causes Iraq extreme concern.
The office of Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani declared measures to expel American forces in retaliation for a government-denounced US drone strike in Baghdad.
The Pentagon stated that a militia leader responsible for recent attacks against U.S. personnel was eliminated in the strike.
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