Iran attacks two military sites in Iraq: What we know so far
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamanei speaks during his meeting with students in Tehran on October 18, 2017. | Iranian Leader’s Press Office/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
This is likely in retaliation for the US killing Qassem Soleimani.
Iran has fired multiple missiles at two US military targets in Iraq, likely in retaliation for President Donald Trump’s decision last week to kill Qassem Soleimani, the leader of Iran’s most elite military and intelligence force.
The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, a part of Iran’s military in which Soleimani was a leading figure, claimed responsibility for the attack, and top-level Iranian officials are already boasting about the strikes. For days, Iranian leaders signaled that they would strike US military targets in response to Soleimani’s killing. It’s possible this is that attack.
The White House has already put out a statement about the attack saying that Trump “is monitoring the situation.”
We are aware of the reports of attacks on US facilities in Iraq. The President has been briefed and is monitoring the situation closely and consulting with his national security team.
— Stephanie Grisham (@PressSec) January 7, 2020
Shortly afterward, the Pentagon put out a statement saying that “Iran launched more than a dozen ballistic missiles against US military and coalition forces in Iraq” at Al Asad airbase west of Baghdad and at Erbil in northern Iraq.
It’s important to note that Iran doesn’t have missiles that can reach the US mainland from Iran, and it doesn’t even have a nuclear weapon. It’s why Iran uses proxies and weapons at its disposal mainly to strike US targets and American allies in the Middle East.
Details of this attack are still developing, but here’s what we do and don’t know so far. We will continue to update this story as we learn more.
What we know
- The Pentagon says Iran launched more than a dozen ballistic missiles at US and coalition forces in Iraq, many of which hit the Al Asad airbase, located west of Baghdad, where US and Iraqi troops reside.
- The Pentagon says missiles were also shot at US military and other personnel in Erbil, Iraq.
- So far there are no confirmed reports of anyone killed or injured, or of damage being sustained.
What we don’t know
- The exact reason for this attack
- If anyone has been injured or killed
- What the US response will be to the attack
from Vox - All https://ift.tt/2N2PHdK
No comments