Barrage of missiles hit US military bases in the Middle East
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – During the past few days, the US military bases in Iraq, Syria, and Yemen were hit by a barrage of missiles amid escalating violence between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
Early on Friday morning, the US and US-led Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS bases near Baghdad International Airport were attacked by missiles, a US official said without revealing his identity since there have no official statements issued yet.
The official said the attacks hit the diplomatic support center near the airport with two missiles, one was intercepted but the other hit an empty storage facility without causing casualties.
On Thursday, the USS Carney, a Navy destroyer in the northern Red Sea, intercepted three land attack cruise missiles and several drones that were launched by Houthi forces in Yemen. The action by the Carney potentially represented the first shots by the US military in the defense of Israel in this conflict, the Associated Press reported.
Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, Pentagon press secretary, told reporters the missiles were “potentially” headed toward Israel but said the US has not finished its assessment of what they were targeting.
The attacks come in tandem with the escalating violence between Israel and Hamas in Gaza Strip, triggering protests in a number of Arab and Muslim countries. The Israeli military has started an operation against Gaza in retaliation for the devastating Hamas infiltration into southern Israel two weeks ago.
Also on Thursday, The so-called Islamic Resistance in Iraq announced that it targeted the US’ al-Asad Air Base in western Iraq with drones.
In southeastern Syria, the al-Tanf garrison, was hit on Thursday by drones. One drone was shot down, but another hit the base and caused minor injuries, according to reports.
The al-Tanf garrison has been under the US control since 2016, when Islamic State (ISIS) militants were expelled from the area. It is located on a vital road that often used by Iranian-backed militias to move from Iraq to Lebanon.
On Oct. 17, militants launched three drones against two US military bases in Iraq. Ryder said the Pentagon does not yet have confirmation on who launched the drone attacks but said the US ”will take all necessary actions to defend U.S. and coalition forces against any threat.” He said any military response would come “at a time and a manner of our choosing.”
In recent days, Iranian-backed militias in Iraq, Syria, and Yemen have threatened to attack US facilities in the region because of American support for Israel.
The US has 2,500 soldiers in Iraq, and 900 more in Syria, on a mission to advise and assist the Iraqi army and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in combating ISIS which seized large swathes of territory in both countries in 2014 and lost its last stronghold in the town of Baghuz in eastern Syria in 2019.
By John Ahmad