Several U.S. soldiers were injured in a ballistic missile attack by Iranian-backed militias on Al-Asad Air Base in Iraq, Pentagon officials said Tuesday.
Monday night’s attack on U.S. and coalition forces involved a close-range ballistic missile and resulted in eight injuries and minor damage to infrastructure, said Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, a Pentagon spokesman, said in a statement.
The U.S. military responded with an unplanned retaliatory strike that killed several Iran-backed militiamen, CBS News has learned.
“Immediately following the attack, a U.S. AC-130 military aircraft conducted a self-defense strike in the area against an Iranian-backed militia vehicle and a number of Iranian-backed militia personnel involved in that attack,” Ryder said in his statement.
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In a tweet, U.S. Central Command said the U.S. gunship “maintained visual confirmation of personnel from the time of launch to the time of deployment.”
The US carried out additional “precision strikes” against two facilities in Iraq early Wednesday morning local time, CENTCOM said in a statement.
“The attacks were a direct response to attacks by Iran and Iranian-backed groups against U.S. and coalition forces,” including the attack on Al-Asad air base “in which short-range ballistic missiles were used,” the statement said.
The number of U.S. soldiers wounded in the attack is still being investigated, a Pentagon official told CBS News, adding that it was the 66th attack on U.S.-affiliated military bases in Iraq and Syria since Oct. 17.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken exchanges challenge coins with the U.S. Marine Corps Embassy Security Department on Nov. 5, 2023, in Baghdad, Iraq. Jonathan Ernst / AP
The rise in attacks comes amid international concerns that the war between Israel and Hamas could expand into a larger conflict spanning the entire Middle East.
While Iran-backed groups have attacked U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria with a mix of drones and missiles, this was the first time since Oct. 17 that a short-range missile was used to attack American troops, the U.S. deputy press secretary said Pentagon’s Sabrina Singh held a press conference on Tuesday afternoon.
Of the 66 attacks last month, 32 occurred in Iraq and 34 in Syria, Singh said. The attacks resulted in about 62 injuries to U.S. personnel, Singh added – that does not include injuries from Monday’s attack.
“These groups in Iraq and Syria that are attacking U.S. interests have made their own decisions,” Iranian Foreign Minister Amir-Abdollahian told CBS News last week when discussing whether Iran supports militant groups in the Middle East.
“We haven’t taken anything off the table or ruled anything out,” Singh said when asked whether the US would launch preemptive strikes to prevent further attacks. “We believe we have taken appropriate action to decimate some of their facilities and some of their weapons, but again, we always reserve the right to respond at a time and place of our choosing.”
Last month, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said, “The United States does not seek conflict and has no intention or desire to engage in further hostilities, but these Iranian-backed attacks against U.S. forces are unacceptable and must stop.”
—Eleanor Watson and Mary Walsh contributed reporting.
Correction: This story has been updated to reflect that the attack on Al-Asad airbase occurred Monday evening.
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