Iran-Linked Iraq Militia Says It Is Resuming Attacks On US Forces
The prior period of constant attacks on US bases in Iraq and Syria which corresponded with the opening first half of Israel's operations in Gaza could soon resume, after a Sunday incident saw at least five rockets fired on an American base in northeastern Syria.
The Iraqi militant group Kataib Hezbollah - which has close ties with Iran claimed responsibility, and more importantly announced that it is resuming attacks on US bases in the region.
Reuters described that "Two security sources and a senior army officer said a rocket launcher fixed on the back of a small truck had been parked in Zummar border town with Syria."
"The military official said the truck caught fire with an explosion from unfired rockets at the same time as warplanes were in the sky," the report continued. There were no casualties, according to regional correspondents.
The military official subsequently said: "We can’t confirm that the truck was bombed by US warplanes unless we investigate it"—strongly suggesting the Pentagon's response was almost immediate, and that air power was deployed.
Crucially, Sunday's incident marked the first such attack on a US base since early February. At that time Iranian militia leaders ordered their fighters to temporarily stand down. That order held, given there hasn't been any notable attack in two months before this weekend.
NEW: Following reports of a rocket attack on a U.S. base in Syria a U.S. official tells Fox News 5+ rockets were fired from Iraq into Syria near a U.S. base. No U.S. service members were killed or injured & there was no damage to the base. It is unclear if the base was the target
— Liz Friden (@Liz_Friden) April 21, 2024
The Guardian notes further of the timing of this fresh attack:
It comes one day after Iraq’s prime minister, Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, returned from a visit to the United States and met with Joe Biden at the White House.
Iraq’s Kataib Hezbollah said Iraqi armed groups had decided to resume attacks on the US presence in the country after seeing little progress on talks to achieve the exit of American troops during al-Sudani’s visit to Washington.
“What happened a short while ago is the beginning,” the group said.
On Monday, following Sunday's brief rocket attack on the US base near the Iraq-Syria border, there was another assault - on the Iraqi side of the border.
"Another attack on US forces in the region in the last hours, now on Al Assad base in Iraq," according to Walla News, as cited in news wires. There are unverified reports of US military helicopters airborne over the area and that a response is ongoing.
During the three to four months following the Oct.7 Hamas terror attack, there were an estimated over 150 drone and rocket attacks against US bases in Iraq and Syria. Among these was the attack which killed three Americans and wounded 40 others at an outpost along the Jordan-Syria border.
President Biden had in the wake of the Jordan outpost attack ordered airstrikes on Iran-linked militia positions, and following the tit-for-tat, Kataib Hezbollah's stood down. However, events of this weekend strongly suggest things are about to ramp up again, also as Iraqi and Syrian government officials have long sought to see Pentagon troops finally expelled from their sovereign territories.