Dozens of ballistic missiles were launched by Iran against US bases in western Iraq on Tuesday night.
According to an US official, the attack was carried out by Iranian forces as the first retaliation for the death of Qassem Soleimani at the base of al-Assad, where US troops are staying, while Iranian television reported that the attack on the US base was organized and carried out by the Iranian military.
The launch of the rockets has been confirmed, while the information so far speak of at least 30 rockets.
An American source, however, confirmed how the al-Assad base was hit by 13 missiles.
The Pentagon confirmed the attack by a document, citing a damage assessment.
According to information thus far, three military helicopters and three military vehicles have been destroyed at the base of al-Assad.
According to CNN, there are casualties, but it is not clear if they are dead or injured, while the US media refers to Iraqis who were injured and not US soldiers.
The first attack took place at the al-Assad air base, where US troops reside and the second at the Irbil base. Two rockets were reportedly dropped on Irbil, one within the perimeter of the international airport and the other 33 kilometers west of the city.
According to the Iranian news agency Tansim, a few minutes difference and a second wave of ballistic missile attacks from Iranian soil on the US base al-Assad have been confirmed, while the Pentagon is trying to assess the damage to the facilities and any losses.
This is a map of the region, to show the position of the air base in relation to the Iranian border.
The US President Donald Trump was immediately informed of the attack on al-Assad shortly after his meeting with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
The Republican president has called an extraordinary Security Council to decide the next move.
A few minutes later, both US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrived at the White House.
The Revolutionary Guards, a select corps of Iran’s armed forces, have announced that they have fired dozens of missiles against a base used by the US military in Iraqi territory, stressing that it was retaliation for the assassination of the Iranian General Qassem Soleimani on Friday and of new “even more overwhelming” retaliation in the event of new US attacks, according to media report in Tehran.
