US military base outside Baghdad faces a slew of rockets

Video footage captured the moment several rockets were launched toward a US military base outside Baghdad’s international airport in Iraq, just minutes before President Joe Biden spoke to the nation. An anti-rocket system was activated, intercepting the rocket. It is still unclear whether the attacks caused casualties or damages.

A clip, posted by Reuters journalist Ahmed Rasheed, is captioned, ‘Rockets hit a military base hosts US forces near Baghdad airport.’ Drones and rockets also targeted the Ain al-Asad air base on Thursday, which hosts US and other international forces in western Iraq, and multiple blasts were heard inside the base. US troops have been repeatedly targeted in Iraq and Syria in recent days, US officials said Thursday.

In the past three days, Iran-linked groups have reportedly launched drones & rockets targeted at US forces, resulting in several injuries. US forces have been injured after three drones targeted two Coalition bases in Iraq in the last 24 hours. Two of the drones were launched at the al-Asad air base, west of Baghdad, and a third targeted the al-Harir air base in the north of the war-torn country.

The aircraft were intercepted but one of the drones still managed to explode, causing minor injuries to and damaging some equipment. The second drone attack targeted the al-Harir air base, which houses US forces in the northern Iraqi city of Erbil. Some US troops were being evaluated for possible traumatic brain injuries, an official told Reuters. The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an Iran-backed terror faction, claimed responsibility for the attack, stating it ‘heralds more operations’ against the ‘American occupation.’

The assault comes amid soaring tensions in the Middle East amid Israel’s war against Hamas following the terror attack that killed more than 1,400 people on October 7. Protests erupted across the region as President Joe Biden flew into Jerusalem on Wednesday to pledge his support to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Biden has sent naval power to the Middle East in the past two weeks, including two aircraft carriers, other warships and about 2,000 Marines. ‘While I’m not going to forecast any potential responses to these attacks, I will say that we will take all necessary actions to defend U.S. and coalition forces against any threat,’ Pentagon spokesman Brigadier General Patrick Ryder told reporters on Thursday. ‘Any response, should one occur, will come at a time in a manner of our choosing,’ Ryder said.

There has been an uptick in attacks on US forces since the conflict in Israel broke out causing Washington to be on heightened alert. There are 2,500 American troops currently stationed in Iraq.

Last week, Iraqi armed forces aligned with Iran threatened to target US interests with missiles and drones if Washington intervened to support Israel against Hamas in Gaza. The Pentagon has rushed air defenses and munitions to Israel, America’s closest ally in the Middle East, but US forces have not joined the fighting.

Since the beginning of the war between Israel and Hamas on October 7, much attention has been focused on Hezbollah, the powerful Hamas ally across Israel’s northern border in Lebanon, and its formidable arsenal. The group has traded limited strikes with Israel on the border in recent days.

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