2024-01-22T17:42:53+00:00
A-
A
A+
/ Deputy Pentagon spokesperson, Sabrina Singh, announced today, Monday, that last Saturday’s attack on the Ain al-Asad air base in Iraq “was the largest on a scale,” while she counted the number of attacks on her country’s forces since October 2023.
Iraqi security sources and a US military official told Agence France-Presse that more than 10 missiles were fired last Saturday at the base.
The spokeswoman said in press statements that American forces were “subjected to a barrage of ballistic missiles” on Saturday at the base that hosts American forces in Anbar Governorate in western Iraq, noting that these forces have been subjected to 151 attacks in Iraq and Syria since October 17.
“The militias targeting our forces in Iraq and Syria obtain ballistic missiles from Iran,” Seping said, adding that they are “armed, supported and equipped” by Tehran.
Regarding the Houthi attacks, Singh said: “We have not witnessed an attack from the Houthis since the 18th of this month. We do not seek to escalate or expand the conflict in the region, but we reserve the right to self-defense and respond to any threats.”
On Sunday, the US military said that Iranian-backed factions fired “several ballistic missiles” at the Ain al-Assad base, late Saturday, wounding one Iraqi and recording possible casualties among the ranks of US forces.
The United States confirmed that it is dealing “very seriously” with the attack launched by Iranian-backed factions. White House Deputy National Security Advisor John Feiner said Sunday: “It was a very serious attack, using ballistic missiles that posed a real threat.”
Iraqi security sources and a US military official told Agence France-Presse that more than 10 missiles were launched on Saturday at the base.
A local security official, who requested to remain anonymous, told the agency that several missiles “hit the Ain al-Asad air base,” and that the air defenses repelled 13 missiles, while “two fell on the base.”
The New York Times reported on Monday that American officials fear that the increase in attacks targeting American bases will ignite a “broader regional war” throughout the Middle East.
The latest attack on US forces in the region, over the weekend, did not result in casualties, but President Joe Biden and his advisors are “concerned” that it is “just a matter of time” before the increasing attacks cause casualties, according to the newspaper. .
The newspaper reports that with the increase in the number of strikes targeting American bases in the Middle East, “the risk of deaths increases,” which is a red line that could lead to a broader war.
The Houthi University, which Washington classifies as “terrorist,” announced on Friday that it had targeted an American ship in the Gulf of Aden, in response to the American-British strikes on its military sites after they attacked ships in the Red Sea region.
While the US military confirmed that the Houthis targeted an American commercial ship on Thursday, it said that the attack did not hit its target.