Coalition forces were slightly injured in Iraq in a spate of drone attacks over the last 24 hours at US bases in Iraq as regional tensions flare following the deadly explosion at a hospital in Gaza.
Two drones targeted the al Asad airbase in western Iraq used by US forces and one drone targeted a base in northern Iraq, a US official told The Associated Press. US forces intercepted all three, destroying two but only damaging the third, which led to minor injuries among coalition forces at the western base, according to a statement Wednesday, October 18, by US Central Command.
The US official was not authorized to speak publicly on the attacks and spoke on the condition of anonymity. "In this moment of heightened alert, we are vigilantly monitoring the situation in Iraq and the region. US forces will defend US and coalition forces against any threat," Central Command said in the release.
Iranian-backed militias in Iraq have threatened to attack US facilities there because of American support for Israel.
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group of Iranian-backed militias, issued a statement afterward claiming responsibility for the two attacks and saying it "heralds more operations" against the "American occupation."
The salvos came at a time of increasing tension and fears of a broader regional conflict in the wake of the latest Hamas-Israel war.