In a recent incident, unidentified drones and missiles targeted the Ain Al-Asad air base, a facility housing US and coalition forces in western Iraq. The attack occurred on Thursday night and resulted in multiple explosions, according to two security sources.
The Iraqi military swiftly responded by securing the area around the military base and initiating an investigation, as reported by Reuters.
Fortunately, no casualties or damages have been reported as of now. This incident marks the third attack against locations housing US forces in Iraq within the past 24 hours.
Just the day before, the US Central Command revealed that the US military had successfully defended against three drones near US and coalition forces in Iraq. A statement from the US Central Command indicated that during this 24-hour period, US forces engaged two of the drones. They destroyed one and damaged the second, which led to minor injuries to coalition forces. Another drone was separately engaged and destroyed in northern Iraq, with no reported injuries or damage.
These recent attacks are the first of their kind in over a year, occurring amidst heightened regional tension stemming from the Israel-Hamas conflict. Washington remains on high alert for activities by groups with alleged backing from Iran.
Notably, Iranian-backed groups in Iraq had previously issued threats to target US interests in the region if the United States were to interfere in the conflict between Hamas and the Israeli military. This development comes amid ongoing Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip, which have persisted for the 13th consecutive day, resulting in significant destruction and casualties among civilians.
