Tensions in the Middle East: Missile attack on a US base in Iraq
At least five US personnel were wounded in an attack on a military base in Iraq, US officials told Reuters, as the Middle East braced for possible further attacks by Iran and its allies following the killing last week of some top members of the militant groups Hamas and Hezbollah, informs Reuters.
Two missiles were fired at the Asad air base in western Iraq, two Iraqi security sources said. An Iraqi security source said the missiles fell inside the base. It was unclear whether the attack was related to Iran's threats to retaliate following the killing of the Hamas leader.
US officials, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said one of the Americans was seriously wounded. The death toll was based on initial reports, which could still change, they said.
"Personnel at the military base are conducting a damage assessment following the attack," one of the officials added. Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, was assassinated last week in the Iranian capital Tehran, an attack that prompted threats of retaliation from Iran against Israel. Iran blamed Israel for the killing, but Israel did not claim responsibility.
Along with Israel's killing of senior Lebanese Hezbollah military commander Fuad Shukr in an attack on Beirut last week, the killings fueled concerns that the conflict in Gaza was turning into a wider war in the Middle East. Iran said the United States was responsible for Haniyeh's assassination because it supported Israel.
In a phone call Monday, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant agreed the attack represented "a dangerous escalation," reads a statement of Pentagon.
Last week, the United States carried out a strike in Iraq against what US officials called militants who were preparing to launch drones and posed a threat to US and coalition forces. The US has been watching closely to see if Iran will follow through on its promise to respond to Haniyeh's killing.
