Five US soldiers wounded in attack on military base in Iraq, officials say

WASHINGTON – At least five US soldiers were injured in an attack on a military base in Iraq on Aug 5, US officials told Reuters, as the Middle East braced itself for a possible new wave of attacks by Iran and its allies following last week’s killing of senior members of militant groups Hamas and Hezbollah.

Two Katyusha rockets were fired at al-Asad airbase in western Iraq, two Iraqi security sources said. One Iraqi security source said the rockets fell inside the base.

It was unclear whether the attack was linked to threats by Iran to retaliate over the killings.

The US officials, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said one of the Americans was seriously injured. The casualty count was based on initial reports, which could still change, they said.

“Base personnel are conducting a damage assessment,” one of the officials added.

Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Palestinian group Hamas, was assassinated in the Iranian capital Tehran on July 31, an attack that drew threats of revenge by Iran on Israel. Iran blames Israel for the killing, but Israel has not claimed responsibility.

With the killing of the senior military commander of Lebanese group Hezbollah, Fuad Shukr, by Israel in a strike on Beirut last week, the attacks have fuelled concern that the conflict in Gaza is turning into a wider Middle East war.

Iran said the US bears responsibility in the

assassination of Haniyeh

because of its support for Israel.

In a call on Aug 5, US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin and Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant agreed that the attack on the military base marked “a dangerous escalation”, according to a Pentagon read-out.

US President Joe Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris were briefed on Aug 5 by their national security team on developments in the Middle East, including threats posed by Iran and its proxies to American service members, the White House said.

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

The US has been watching to see if Iran will make good on its vow to respond to the killing of Haniyeh, one in a series of killings of senior figures in the Palestinian militant group as the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza rages on.

The Pentagon has said it will deploy additional fighter jets and navy warships to the Middle East, as Washington seeks to bolster defences following threats by Iran and its allies Hamas and Hezbollah.

A rare ally of both the US and Iran, Iraq hosts 2,500 US troops and has Iran-backed militias linked to its security forces. It has witnessed escalating tit-for-tat attacks since the Israel-Hamas war erupted in October.

Iraq wants troops from the US-led military coalition to begin withdrawing in September and to formally end the coalition’s work by September 2025, Iraqi sources have said, with some US forces likely to remain in a newly negotiated advisory capacity.

Baghdad has struggled to rein in Iran-backed armed groups that have attacked US forces there and in neighbouring Syria dozens of times

since Oct 7.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani spoke with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken on Aug 4.

An Iraqi official said Mr Blinken asked Mr al-Sudani to help decrease regional tensions by convincing Iran to temper its response to the Israeli strike in Tehran that killed the leader of Hamas last week.

US Army general Michael Kurilla, head of the US Central Command, is currently in the Middle East. One US official said the general was speaking with allies to ensure there was coordination in case of an Iranian attack against Israel. REUTERS