American and Iraqi soldiers have been reported as injured in the incident which has been blamed on Iran-linked groups as fears grow of a widerregional conflict.
The US military’s Central Command (CENTCOM) has announced a base in Iraq was hit by multiple ballistic missiles and rockets fired by Iranian-backed militias from inside Iraq.
There are reports that US personnel suffered minor injuries during the attack on Iraq’s Ain al-Asad air base on Saturday – and a member of Iraq’s security forces was also wounded, US officials say.
In a statement, the US military did not confirm the extent of any US injuries but confirmed that some personnel were being evaluated for traumatic brain injury.
The US’ assessment was more severe than accounts of security and government forces in Iraq. They only reported rocket fire against the base.
The attack came just hours after Iran vowed revenge and blamed Israel for a deadly attack on a building housing its elite forces in the Syrian capital Damascus. The Israeli strike targeted the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).
The move by Tehran has driven growing fears of a wider regional conflict in the Middle East.
“Multiple ballistic missiles and rockets were launched by Iranian-backed militants in western Iraq targeting al-Assad Airbase,” CENTCOM said on X, formerly Twitter.
“Most of the missiles were intercepted by the base’s air defence systems while others impacted on the base. Damage assessments are ongoing,” they added.
Attacks on US forces in Iraq and Syria have increased since Israel’s military offensive – which has been backed by Washington began in October.
Since then, Israel has expanded its offensive on the Gaza Strip to target Iran-linked armed groups in Syria and Lebanon.