Seven US personnel injured in Monday rocket attack at Al Asad airbase in Iraq, including two evacuated for further care

CNN —

Seven US personnel were injured when two rockets hit Al Asad Airbase in Iraq on Monday, a defense official said on Tuesday.

“Five US servicemembers and two US contractors were injured in the attack. Five injured personnel are receiving care at Al Asad Airbase and two have been evacuated for further care,” the official said. “All seven injured personnel are in stable condition.”

The official said post-strike assessments are still ongoing.

The US Defense Department late Monday blamed Iran-aligned militia groups for the attack, calling it a “dangerous escalation.”

A Pentagon readout of a call between US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said the two men “agreed that today’s Iran-aligned militia attack on U.S. forces stationed at Al-Asad Airbase in western Iraq marked a dangerous escalation and demonstrated Iran’s destabilizing role in the region.”

Austin reiterated to Gallant “unwavering U.S. commitment to Israel’s security in the face of threats from Iran, Lebanese Hizballah, and other Iran-aligned militia groups,” according to the readout.

A vehicle carrying rockets was intercepted by the Iraqi military Monday after the attack. The Iraqi military said in a statement that two rockets were launched from the vehicle in the Haditha district, with eight more being prepared for launch.

The statement added that the perpetrators of the attack are currently being pursued and that leaders, commanders and officers responsible for the “security breaches in the area” will be held accountable.

The attack comes amid extremely high tensions in the Middle East, as the US has been bracing for Iranian retaliation against Israel over the assassination of Hamas political leader