US base in Iraq hit amid rising Mideast tensions

What happened

A base housing U.S. and allied military personnel in western Iraq was hit Monday by a suspected rocket attack that injured several American personnel, U.S. officials said. At least five troops and contractors were injured, one seriously, when two rockets landed inside al-Asad air base, Reuters said, citing initial estimates.

Who said what

President Joe Biden said he and Vice President Kamala Harris met with national security advisers and discussed developments in the Middle East and steps to "respond to any attack against our personnel in a manner and place of our choosing."

Monday's attack "comes at a fraught time in the region, as U.S. and Israeli officials brace for Iran's promised response" to the assassinations of top Hamas and Hezbollah leaders, The Washington Post said. But it's not clear if the al-Asad strike was part of that response or a "continuation of ongoing efforts by the Iran-backed groups in Iraq to target U.S. forces," The New York Times said. After Iran-backed militants targeted the same base in mid-July, the U.S. bombed a small drone factory near Bagdad last week, killing three Iraqi fighters and a Houthi commander visiting from Yemen.

What next?

The U.S. and Iraq are in discussions on drawing down the 2,500 U.S. troops stationed in the country.

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