Drone assault on Iraq army base wounds 3 U.S. service members, Pentagon says

A drone assault by an Iran-affiliated terrorist group on a army base in Iraq early Monday morning left three U.S. service members wounded, the Pentagon stated, and prompted President Biden to order retaliatory strikes.  

The assault on the Erbil Air Base in northern Iraq was performed by Kataib Hezbollah militants, Protection Secretary Lloyd Austin stated in a press release. One of many three service members wounded is in crucial situation, Austin disclosed.

In response, President Biden — after being briefed and holding a name with Austin and his nationwide safety workforce — ordered retaliatory strikes on “three places utilized by Kataib Hezbollah and affiliated teams targeted particularly on unmanned aerial drone actions,” Nationwide Safety Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson stated in a press release.

In accordance with U.S. Central Command, the retaliatory strikes on the three websites, all positioned in Iraq, had been performed at 8:45 p.m. Jap time and “possible killed numerous Kataib Hezbollah militants.” 

No civilians had been believed to have been wounded or killed, CENTCOM stated. 

There have been dozens of assaults by Iranian-backed militias focusing on U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria because the violent Oct. 7 terrorist assault on Israel by Hamas — a gaggle which U.S. officers have lengthy stated receives monetary and materials assist from Iran.  

And in response, U.S. forces have performed a number of rounds of strikes on what protection officers say are Iran-linked weapons services and Iran-backed fighters. 

On Nov. 20, a number of U.S. service members had been injured in a ballistic missile assault by Iran-back militias on Al-Asad Airbase in Iraq, the Pentagon stated. In related trend to Monday’s retaliation, the U.S. instantly launched strikes on militia-linked services and personnel. 

This additionally comes as Iranian-linked Houthi rebels in Yemen have additionally been conducting quite a few assaults on business vessels within the Purple Sea. Final week, the White Home accused Iran of being “deeply concerned” in these Purple Sea assaults, an allegation Tehran denied. 

In a Nov. 15 interview with CBS Information, Iranian International Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian denied that Iran was answerable for a drone fired from Yemen that was shot down by the guided-missile destroyer USS Thomas Hudner. The drone gave the impression to be focusing on the Hudner, U.S. officers stated on the time.

“We actually did not need this disaster to broaden,” Amir-Abdollahian advised CBS Information, referencing the Israel-Hamas struggle. “However the U.S. has been intensifying the struggle in Gaza by throwing its assist behind Israel. Yemen makes its personal selections and acts independently.” 

Final week, power large BP introduced it was briefly suspending all gasoline and oil shipments within the Purple Sea due to the assaults. 

— David Martin, Eleanor Watson, S. Dev, Arden Farhi and Olivia Gazis contributed to this report.