Topline
Several U.S. personnel were injured in a suspected rocket attack at an airbase in Iraq, a U.S. defense official reportedly said Monday—an attack that comes during a time of heightened tensions in the Middle East over concerns about Iran retaliating against Israel.
Key Facts
The suspected rocket attack was at al-Asad air base in Iraq, multiple outlets reported, citing initial information that may change.
It was not immediately clear how many U.S. troops were injured or how they were injured.
Two rockets were fired at the base, and one fell inside the base, according to Reuters—which first reported the attack—and U.S. base personnel “are conducting a post-attack damage assessment.”
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What We Don’t Know
Whether the U.S. was the intended target of the attack.
News Peg
The attack comes after a top Hamas leader was killed last week, leading Iran to blame Israel for the killing and threaten it with “harsh punishment,” according to the BBC. Though Iran has threatened retaliation on Israel, Israeli officials have not commented on whether the country was involved in the death of Hamas’ top political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, CNN reported.
Key Background
Haniyeh was killed in Tehran last Wednesday, Iranian officials said. Hamas first said Haniyeh was killed in an Israeli raid, but a follow up statement said he was killed by an Israeli airstrike on his residence in Tehran. Haniyeh had been in Iran—which does not recognize Israel and supports Hamas and Hezbollah—for the inauguration of Iran’s new president, Masoud Pezeshkian. The conditions of Haniyeh’s death have been the subject of competing narratives: On Saturday, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said he was killed by a short-range projectile and accused the U.S. of supporting the attack, according to the Associated Press, heightening concern of retaliation against Israel and the U.S. The New York Times reported Sunday, though, that Haniyeh was killed by an explosive device that had been smuggled into his house months earlier.
Further Reading
Israel and Hamas. Previously, she has covered a range of topics from Donald Trump’s legal battles to Taylor Swift’s path to becoming a billionaire. She joined Forbes in April 2022 and is based in Colorado. Prior to joining Forbes, Bohannon covered local news and spent time at the Fort Collins Coloradoan and the Arizona Republic. She graduated with a degree in journalism from Creighton University and has an MA in investigative journalism from Arizona State. Follow Bohannon for continued coverage of pop culture, politics and updates on the war in Gaza.
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