A suspected rocket attack on Monday has injured several U.S. personnel in Iraq, according to a defense spokesperson.
The attack struck Al-Asad Airbase in western Iraq, the official said, adding they were “conducting a postattack damage assessment” and would share more information when it is available.
It wasn’t immediately clear who was behind the attack, though Iranian-backed militants appear to have resumed threats against U.S. forces in Iraq in recent days.
Last week, U.S. fighter jets struck Iranian-backed militants, with American officials saying the fighters were preparing for drone or rocket attacks.
The flare-up in Iraq comes as the U.S. and Israel are bracing for an Iranian attack. Iran has blamed Israel for the assassination of top Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh while he was in Tehran last week, and Iran’s supreme leader has vowed revenge. Israel has not claimed responsibility for the attack, though it rarely acknowledges covert operations in countries it is not at direct war with.
Israeli forces last week also claimed responsibility for a strike against the top Hezbollah military leader, Fuad Shukr, who was the right-hand man to the Lebanese militant group’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah.
The Iranian-backed Hezbollah has been firing daily at Israel over the border since the war in Gaza began nearly 10 months ago. But after the deaths of Haniyeh and Shukr, a larger retaliation from Hezbollah and Iran is spurring fears across the Middle East.
The U.S. has moved the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group to the Middle East, along with additional ballistic missile defense-capable cruisers and destroyers and a fighter squadron, to prepare for any Iranian and Hezbollah attack.
U.S. forces battled Iranian-backed militia groups in Iraq and Syria for months following the outbreak of Israel’s war against Hamas in October, but the death of three American troops at a base in Jordan prompted a massive strike on their positions in February. After the U.S. strike, attacks in Iraq and Syria on American bases stopped.
If the Iranian proxies are behind the most recent strike on Al-Asad base, it’s not clear what has prompted them to strike again. Iran may be directing the militia groups to carry out more attacks, or the groups could be pushing back on their own after the death of Haniyeh and Shukr.
Any renewed fighting in Iraq is likely to lead to pushback from Baghdad, which is looking to kick out U.S. troops and may do so at the conclusion of talks, potentially in the fall. Iraqi leaders have repeatedly criticized any strikes and battles in Iraq.
