There was more escalation from "Iranian proxies" on Saturday.
According to reports, there was a large ballistic missile attack on U.S. troops at the Al Asad Air Base in Iraq.
According to Fox's Lucas Tomlinson,15 Patriot missiles were fired to deal with the attack, which shows you how big the attack was.
BREAKING: Over 15 U.S. Patriot surface-to-air missiles fired from al-Asad air base in Iraq to intercept incoming Iranian missiles - source
— Lucas Tomlinson (@LucasFoxNews) January 20, 2024
Yet, some of them still got through. Tomlinson retweeted Senior Fellow at the Middle Eastern Institute, Charles Lister, who shared that the Iran-directed "Islamic Resistance in Iraq" claimed responsibility.
Some updates:
— Charles Lister (@Charles_Lister) January 20, 2024
- Not rockets, but tactical ballistic missiles;
- U.S. injuries confirmed;
- 15+ U.S. Patriot missiles were launched to intercept, but some missiles still got through -- meaning attack was BIG;
- #Iran-directed "Islamic Resistance in #Iraq" claimed responsibility. https://t.co/E858p7PNRz
The report said the attack was done from inside Iraq.
Unfortunately, American military personnel were injured in the attack, and a member of Iraq's security forces was seriously wounded. The report did not say how many Americans were injured.
Since the Israel-Hamas war began in October, the U.S. military has come under attack at least 58 times in Iraq and another 83 times in Syria by Iran-backed militants, usually with a mix of rockets and one-way attack drones.
The militants are seeking to impose a cost on the United States for its support of Israel against Iran-backed Palestinian militant group Hamas.
The U.S. has 900 troops in Syria and 2,500 in Iraq on a mission to advise and assist local forces trying to prevent a resurgence of Islamic State, which in 2014 seized large parts of both countries before being defeated.
This follows another direct attack earlier in the week by Iran near the U.S. Consulate in Erbil, Iraq. There were no American injuries in that incident. That was also a ballistic missile attack. Iran claimed it was an attack on an "Israeli spy" facility, without any evidence that was the case.
I'm thinking at this point that Iran isn't getting the message from the response of the Biden team. Apparently saying "Don't" doesn't really have much power. As I reported, Joe Biden admitted that the administration's response to the Houthis wasn't stopping their actions against U.S. assets; it doesn't appear to be stopping the other Iranian-proxies actions in places like Iraq. Iran wants to make the U.S. pay a price, but the Biden team doesn't seem set on making Iran pay a price.
At the same time that all of this is going on, they're giving the Houthis a pass that allows them an option to get around sanctions, and the sanctions themselves are missing real teeth. Then, Biden and National Security Council spokesperson, John Kirby seem puzzled as to why such attacks are not stopping.
READ MORE:
Whoops: Biden Makes a Damning Admission About His Response to the Houthis
(Updated) Iran Launches Attack Near U.S. Consulate in Iraq, Takes Credit in Massive Escalation
Join the conversation as a VIP Member