U.S. officials confirmed that several U.S. personnel were injured in a rocket attack at Al Asad Airbase in Iraq on Monday. The attack comes as tensions continue to rise in the Middle East following the assassination of the top Hamas terrorist leader and the elimination of a top Hezbollah leader.
U.S. officials told Reuters that at least five U.S. personnel were injured in Monday’s attack at Al Asad Airbase. Two Iraqi security sources told the outlet that the attack involved two Katyusha rockets. One Iraqi security source added that the Katyusha rockets fell inside Al Asad Airbase.
Anonymous U.S. officials told Reuters that at least one of the individuals wounded in Monday’s attack had sustained serious injuries. The officials added that the casualty count, which was based on initial reports from the attack, could change.
A U.S. defense official also confirmed Monday’s attack to Fox News, explaining that “several” U.S. personnel were injured in the rocket attack.
“Base personnel are conducting a post-attack damage assessment,” the anonymous defense official stated. “We will provide updates as more information becomes available.”
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According to Reuters, U.S. officials did not confirm whether Monday’s attack was directly connected to threats issued by Iran following last week’s assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, the top leader of Hamas, in Tehran. Following the assassination of Haniyeh, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei warned it would be Iran’s “duty to take revenge.”
According to a Pentagon readout of a Monday call between U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant, the two leaders agreed that the “Iran-aligned militia attack on U.S. forces stationed at Al-Asad Airbase in western Iraq marked a dangerous escalation and demonstrated Iran’s destabilizing role in the region.”
In a statement on X, formerly Twitter, President Joe Biden announced that he and Vice President Kamala Harris had received a briefing regarding “developments in the Middle East,” on Monday.
“We received updates on threats posed by Iran and its proxies, diplomatic efforts to de-escalate regional tensions, and preparations to support Israel should it be attacked again,” Biden added. “We also discussed the steps we are taking to defend our forces and respond to any attack against our personnel in a manner and place of our choosing.”
