US personnel injured by rocket attack in Iraq

Several US personnel have been injured during a rocket attack targeting Ain al-Asad base in western Iraq, U.S. defense officials said on Monday.

U.S. defense officials said troops at al-Asad air base were still assessing the injuries and damage, and it appeared that as many as seven military troops and civilians were injured. 

Last week, the U.S. carried out a strike in southern Iraq against individuals U.S. officials said were militants getting ready to launch drones and posed a threat to US and coalition forces.

The attack comes during heightened tensions in the Middle East following the assassinations of Hamas political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, in Iran, and Hezbollah Commander Fouad Shukr in Lebanon’s capital. Israel has only claimed the latter, although it is suspected of carrying out the former assassination as well.

U.S. President Biden and Vice President Harris have been briefed on the incident and discussed steps to defend US forces, with no further information detailed.

U.S. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant have agreed in a call that the "Iran-aligned militia attack on US forces stationed at al-Asad airbase" in Iraq represented a "dangerous escalation and demonstrated Iran's destabilizing role in the region", the Pentagon says.

“The Islamic Resistance in Iraq,” an umbrella union of various non-state armed groups, intensified attacks after the start of the Israeli assault in Gaza. They halted attacks on American forces after a drone killed three US military personnel and wounded dozens of others at an outpost in Jordan at the end of January. Despite this, several rocket attacks targeting bases hosting US forces have been attacked.

The group has been demanding the comprehensive withdrawal of US forces from Iraqi soil. Kataib Hezbollah, one of the largest armed groups in the country, announced the resumption of attacks in April after little progress was made during a meeting between Iraqi and US officials on the withdrawal of U.S. forces.

Iraq currently hosts 2,500 troops, many of which hold advisory roles. The Iraqi government is aiming to negotiate a full withdrawal of Coalition forces by September 2025 and balances good relations with both the US and Iran.