World News
WASHINGTON (AP) — Several U.S. soldiers were injured in a suspected rocket attack on a military base in Iraq, U.S. defense officials said Monday. The variety of attacks on American forces by Iranian-backed militias has increased recently.
The attack got here as tensions within the Middle East rise after a senior Hezbollah commander in Lebanon and the highest political leader of Hamas in Iran were killed in suspected Israeli strikes last week. Both groups are backed by Iran.
U.S. defense officials said troops at al-Asad air base were still assessing casualties and damage. On Monday morning, Iraqi security officials confirmed the attack, but no group has claimed responsibility.
The officials spoke about military operations on condition of anonymity.
In recent weeks, Iran-backed Iraqi militias have resumed attacks on US bases in Iraq and Syria after a months-long hiatus. Previously, three US soldiers were killed in an attack on a base in Jordan at the top of January, after which the US carried out a series of retaliatory strikes.
Between October and January, an umbrella organization calling itself the “Islamic Resistance in Iraq” recurrently claimed responsibility for the attacks, saying they were a retaliatory measure for Washington's support of Israel within the war against Hamas within the Gaza Strip and aimed to expel US troops from the region.
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