US forces in Iraq and Syria were also attacked with missiles and drones at least five times on Friday; three times at separate bases in Syria and twice at the Ain al-Asad air base west of Baghdad.
US military vehicles at al-Asad air base in Anbar province, Iraq. Photo: Reuters
Friday was the deadliest day of attacks on US forces in the region since mid-October, when militants began targeting US assets in Iraq and Syria over Washington’s support for Israel in its fight against Hamas in Gaza.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin condemned the attacks by militant groups in the region in a call with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani. “The United States reserves the right to respond decisively against those groups,” Austin said.
Dozens of military bases housing US forces have been attacked in recent weeks, raising fears of a wider regional conflict. No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks.
US officials said Friday's attacks caused no injuries and the attack on the embassy caused minimal damage.
Sheikh Ali Damoush, a senior official of Lebanon's Hezbollah group, said in a speech on Friday that attacks by armed groups across the Middle East were aimed at pressuring Israel to stop its offensive in the Gaza Strip.
The US responded with a series of strikes that killed at least 15 rebels in Iraq and seven in Syria.
Prime Minister Sudan has pledged to protect foreign missions. He has ordered security agencies to hunt down the perpetrators, describing them as "unruly, lawless groups that do not represent the will of the Iraqi people in any way".
Mai Anh (according to Reuters)
Source
Comment (0)