“FRockets were launched at the Ain al-Assad base in al-Anbar province in western Iraq, an Iraqi security source told Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Some “fell inside the base” and one rocket fell on a nearby village without causing damage, added the same source, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The pro-Iran militia group Islamic Resistance in Iraq claimed responsibility tonight for the attack on the US-led international coalition air base in Ain al-Assad, Efe reported.
In a brief statement, the pro-Iranian militias reiterated their intention to “continue destroying enemy strongholds at an accelerated pace”, without providing further details.
An Iraqi security source from Anbar province told Efe that the air base was attacked “by four Katyusha missiles.”
According to this source, “air defenses managed to shoot down two of them before they reached their targets, while two missiles fell in the vicinity of the base without causing material or human damage.”
A US Defense spokesman said that several US personnel were injured, according to initial indications from the scene.
“There was an alleged rocket attack against US and coalition forces [anti-jihadista internacional] at Al-Assad Air Base in Iraq,” the same source said, as quoted by AFP.
US defense officials told the Associated Press that troops at the al-Assad air base were still assessing the damage, confirming that there were several injuries.
Such attacks were common at the start of the war between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas in the Gaza Strip, but have since largely subsided.
Today’s strike follows a US strike on Tuesday that targeted pro-Iranian Iraqi fighters who were “attempting to deploy attack drones” and “posed a threat to US and anti-jihadist coalition forces in the region,” according to a US defense source.
The offensive, which Iraqi sources said left four people dead, was the first by US forces in Iraq since February.
In January, a drone strike attributed to the movement killed three US soldiers at a base in Jordan. In retaliation, the United States launched dozens of strikes against pro-Iran fighters in Iraq and Syria.
Since then, attacks against American forces have greatly decreased.
Baghdad has tried to calm the situation by opening talks with Washington over the future of the international coalition mission in Iraq, with pro-Iran groups calling for its withdrawal.
Today’s attack on the base with US troops comes amid growing fears of a response by Iran and its allies to Israel’s assassination of senior Hamas and Lebanese Hezbollah officials.
Fears of rising tensions in the Middle East have increased and led the United States to reinforce its military forces in recent days.
About 2,500 US troops are deployed in Iraq and 900 in Syria.
[Notícia atualizada às 22h57]
Read Also: At least 4 dead in airstrike on pro-Iran militia base in Iraq
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Source: https://www.noticiasaominuto.com/mundo/2610711/ataque-com-rockets-atinge-base-com-tropas-dos-eua-no-iraque-ha-feridos
