An unspecified number of U.S. personnel were injured in a suspected rocket attack on Al Asad Air Base in Iraq on Monday, a defense spokesperson told Task & Purpose.
“Initial indications are that several U.S. personnel were injured,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “Base personnel are conducting a post-attack damage assessment. We will provide updates as more information becomes available.”
No information was immediately available about how many Americans were wounded or the severity of their injuries.
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This is the latest attack against American forces in the Middle East. Iranian-backed militia groups have fired mortars and launched drones and missiles against U.S. troops in the region since Hamas’ Oct. 7 terror attack on Israel. Three Army Reserve soldiers were killed in a Jan. 28 drone attack against a U.S. base in Jordan.
July saw the most attacks against U.S. bases in the region in months. On July 30, the U.S. military launched a defense airstrike against militants who were preparing to launch a drone. It was the first U.S. airstrike in the country since February.
Tensions in the Middle East have been especially high in the past week. Israel is bracing for an attack by Iran and its proxies after the July 30 Israeli airstrike killed Fuad Shukr, a senior Hezbollah commander who “played a central role” in the Oct. 23,1983 attack on U.S. Marines in Beirut that killed 241 American troops, and the subsequent assassination of Hamas’ political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran. Israeli officials have not commented publicly on Haniyeh’s death.
This is a breaking news story. It will be updated as more information becomes available.