The US military’s Central Command said an Iran-backed militia targeted the Al Asad airbase, which hosts American troops, with ballistic missiles and rockets on Saturday evening.
An unspecified number of US personnel were “undergoing evaluation for traumatic brain injuries” and at least one Iraqi service member was wounded.
The strike against the base was claimed by the ‘Islamic Resistance in Iraq;. According to the US-based Washington Institute for Near East Policy, they are a mixture of Iran-affiliated, Iraq-based terrorists.
The US military said most of Saturday’s missiles were intercepted but some still evaded air defences and hit the base.
It is the latest in a series of attacks on US positions in Iraq and Syria by Iran’s proxies in the region since the outbreak of the Israel-Gaza conflict last October.
The US military and allies have also intervened to stop Houthi missile attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea.
US forces carried out another airstrike on Saturday against the Houthis – an Iran-backed rebel group controlling much of western Yemen.
The US military said it targeted a launch site, after identifying an anti-ship missile “that was aimed into the Gulf of Aden and prepared to launch”.
