Iran-linked militants fired rockets at the Ain Al-Asad military base in Iraq, where US troops were stationed, on Saturday, according to Arab media reports.
A US official reported that US personnel were lightly wounded and a member of Iraqi security forces was seriously wounded in the attack.
The White House announced on Sunday that the US was “extremely serious” about an attack by Iranian-backed militants on the base. White House deputy national security adviser Jon Finer stated:
It was a very serious attack, using a capability of ballistic missiles that posed a genuine threat (…) You can be assured that we are taking this extremely seriously.
The Pentagon claimed that most of the shells fired at the base were intercepted by air defence systems.
Responsibility for Saturday’s attack was claimed by Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a loose alliance of Iran-affiliated armed groups that oppose US support for Israel in the Gaza conflict.
The attack came after Israel targeted Damascus, killing five officers of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard ().
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Naser Kanaani condemned the Damascus airstrike, stating that the Islamic Republic reserved the right to respond to Israel “at an appropriate time and place.”
