Al-Asad airbase was hit by graduated missiles, Iraqi officials said on Wednesday. There were no reports of casualties or damage, and no group immediately took responsibility.
One of the groups, the Iranian-backed militia Kata’ib Hezbollah, said in a subsequent statement that it had the right to respond to the “barbaric aggression” that killed one of its fighters.
American officials said they expected the attacks on Syria to end attacks on coalition forces. Wednesday’s attack may indicate a failure to reach that goal and that escalation may be ahead.
“One of the things we certainly hoped to achieve as a result of that attack was to stop future attacks by militia groups against our Iraqi people, our facilities and our partners, and we certainly hope it will have that effect,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said to reporters the day before Al-Asad was the target.
‘Barbarian aggression’
The rocket launcher used in Wednesday’s attack was found in the agricultural area of al-Bayader, near the city of al-Baghdadi, about 180 kilometers northwest of Baghdad, military sources told CNN. Sabereen News, a pro-Shiite militia group, posted images on its Telegram page claiming to show the launcher that attacked the base. CNN cannot independently verify the images.
US attacks on the Syrian site killed “even a handful” of militants, a US official told CNN at the time.
Kata’ib Hezbollah issued a brief statement the next day, saying that the US attacks killed a fighter “stationed on the border between Iraq and Syria to protect the land of Iraq and its people from ISIS criminal gangs”.
The group asked the Iraqi parliament to expel US forces in the country and prosecute the “traitors” who conspired with them, and promised to respond to US attacks, saying that despite the hopes, the Biden government was proving to be equal to Trump’s. administration.
“This barbaric aggression … undoubtedly indicates that aggressive American policies towards our people do not change by changing their administration like the deceived hope, and that their ugly face cannot be hidden by changing masks,” the statement said.
“We affirm the legitimate right of our Iraqi people to respond to this cowardly criminal operation, in revenge for our martyrs,” the statement said.
Wednesday’s rocket attack comes just two days before a planned trip to Iraq by Pope Francis, the first time a Pope has visited the country. The Pope will stay at the Vatican Embassy during his trip, the Vatican said on Tuesday.