October 23, 2023 | The Jerusalem Post
Iran-backed attacks on US forces in Iraq and Syria increase
Reports on Sunday said that rockets targeted Ain al-Asad base, at least the sixth attack since the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel.
October 23, 2023 | The Jerusalem Post
Iran-backed attacks on US forces in Iraq and Syria increase
Reports on Sunday said that rockets targeted Ain al-Asad base, at least the sixth attack since the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel.
Iranian-backed militias in Iraq and Syria continue to increase threats and attacks against US forces. On Sunday reports said that rockets targeted Ain al-Asad base, at least the sixth attack since the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel.
“Katyusha rockets on Sunday targeted the Ain al-Asad air base, which hosts US and other international forces in western Iraq, and one blast was heard inside the base, two army sources said. On Saturday, defense systems at Ain al-Asad intercepted and shot down two drones while they were hovering near the base. Ain al-Asad air base is located in the western Anbar province,” Reuters noted.
This comes after a fifth attack on Saturday. “The drone came down inside the (Ain al-Assad) base” in the western province of Anbar, without causing any casualties or damage, a military source told AFP on condition of anonymity,” Barrons reported on Saturday.
Pro-Iran proxies targeting US forces using drones
In addition, pro-Iran accounts in Iraq published video claiming that they had targeted Erbil in northern Iraq’s Kurdistan region. The pro-Iran militias have targeted Erbil airport several times in the past. US forces have a facility at the airport. The pro-Iran proxies use drones to target the airport.
The attacks on US forces began last week with drone attacks on Asad base. Asad base is a sprawling large facility. The US has forces there. The US withdrew from many facilities in Iraq in 2019 and 2020 after Iranian-backed attacks increased.
Iran has also targeted the US Tanf garrison in Syria as well as US forces in eastern Syria. Tanf is in Syria, near the Jordanian and Iraq border. Iran also mobilized the Houth is in Yemen to launch drones and missiles last week.
Seth J. Frantzman, Ph.D., is the author of “Drone Wars: Pioneers, Killing Machines, Artificial Intelligence and the Battle for the Future.” He has more than 15 years of experience covering conflict and security issues in the Middle East, as a correspondent and analyst, and is an adjunct fellow at The Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD).