Rockets and drones hit Iraqi base where there are US forces

Drones and rockets The Ain al-Asad air base, which houses US and other international forces in western Iraq, was hit on Thursday and multiple explosions were heard inside, two security sources reported.

The Iraqi military said it had closed the area around the base and launched a search operation. It was not yet clear whether the attacks caused casualties or damage, the sources said.

The attack is the third in less than 24 hours against air bases housing US troops in Iraq. US military forces in Iraq were targeted by two separate drone attacks on Wednesday, one of which caused minor injuries to a small number of soldiers, although the Army managed to intercept the armed unmanned aircraft.

Last week, Iraqi armed groups aligned with Iran threatened to attack US interests with missiles and drones if Washington intervened to support Israel against Hamas in Gaza.

The United States has 2,500 soldiers in Iraq, and 900 more in neighboring Syria, on a mission to advise and assist local forces in the fight against Islamic State, which in 2014 seized swaths of territory in both countries. Ain al-Asad air base is located in the western province of Anbar.

“Potentially” intercepts missiles from Yemen

A US Navy ship on Thursday shot down missiles and drones fired by Houthi rebels in Yemen, possibly at Israel, the Pentagon said.

Three “land attack cruise missiles and various drones” They were intercepted by a destroyer “which operates in the northern Red Sea”, a spokesperson told reporters.

The attack was launched from Yemen and “potentially towards targets in Israel”. “As far as is known” No injuries have been reported among the military personnel of the ship USS Carney or among civilians on land, the US Department of Defense stated during a press conference.

The Houthis, backed by Iran, took control of the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, in 2014, sparking a war against government forces that left hundreds of thousands dead and millions displaced, plunging the country into one of its worst crises. humanitarian organizations of the world.

The interception of these drones and missiles occurs in a context of growing fears on the part of Washington about Tehran’s direct involvement in the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian organization Hamas, which has already caused several thousand deaths.

In Iraq, drone attacks against US forces and the international coalition were “frustrated” on Wednesday and the devices were “demolished”causing minor injuries, US military authorities said.

Iraqi armed factions close to Iran have threatened in recent days to attack US interests in Iraq over Washington’s support for Israel.

US Defense Minister Lloyd Austin announced on Saturday that his country would send a second aircraft carrier to the eastern Mediterranean to “deter hostile actions against Israel or any attempt to expand this war.”

Source: Reuters and AFP