Two Katyusha rockets were fired at the Ain al-Assad airbase. An Iraqi security source said the rockets landed inside the base.
At least five U.S. servicemen have been wounded in an attack on a military base in Iraq, U.S. officials said, amid heightened tensions following the killing last week of senior members of Hamas and Hezbollah.
Two Katyusha rockets were fired at the Ain al-Assad airbase in western Iraq on Monday, two Iraqi security sources told Reuters news agency. One of the Iraqi sources said the rockets landed inside the base. It was not clear whether the attack was linked to Iran's threats to retaliate for the killing of the Hamas leader.
The U.S. officials, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said one of the Americans was seriously wounded. Meanwhile, the Associated Press news agency, citing U.S. defense officials, said up to seven military personnel and civilians were injured.
The White House said the president and vice president had been briefed on the attack.
“The base staff are conducting a damage assessment following the attack,” one of the officials told Reuters. Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of the Palestinian group Hamas, was killed in the Iranian capital Tehran last week, an attack that prompted threats of revenge from Iran. Iran has blamed Israel for the killing, but Israel has not claimed responsibility.
Adding to tensions, an Israeli strike in Beirut last week also killed Fuad Shukir, the top commander of the Lebanese group Hezbollah.
Iran has said the United States is responsible for Haniyeh's assassination because of its support for Israel.
US deploys military forces in anticipation of threats of retaliation
In a call on Monday, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant agreed that the attack marked “a dangerous escalation,” according to a Pentagon statement.
Last week, the United States carried out a strike in Iraq against individuals who US officials said were “militants” preparing to launch drones and posed a threat to US and coalition forces.
The United States has been watching Iran's response to Haniyeh's assassination in Tehran.
Following the assassination, the US sent additional military forces to the Middle East in anticipation of retaliatory strikes, describing the deployment as “defensive.”
The nearly 10-month-old war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas has led to regular low-level hostilities between Israel and Iran and Hezbollah, as well as other groups in the region that are aligned with Tehran.
It is widely believed that neither side is prepared for all-out war, but rising tensions mean the risk of a conflagration is high.
Iraq, a rare ally of both the United States and Iran, hosts 2,500 American troops and has groups of Iranian-backed fighters linked to its security forces. The country has seen an escalation of reciprocal attacks since the Gaza war broke out in October.
