US personnel injured in attack on Al-Asad Air Base in Iraq, US official says

CNN —

US personnel were injured in a ballistic missile attack on Al-Asad Air Base in Iraq on Saturday, two US officials said.

The attack resulted in minor injuries, the officials said, though it was not immediately clear how many personnel had been injured.

US Central Command confirmed the attack Saturday evening and said in a statement that “a number” of US personnel are being evaluated for traumatic brain injuries.

Multiple ballistic missiles and rockets targeted the base and, while most were intercepted by the base’s air defenses, some made impact, the CENTCOM statement said.

The use of more powerful ballistic missiles, far rarer than rockets or one-way attack drones, comes at a time of growing tension in the region as the Israel-Hamas war passes 100 days.

US and coalition forces have faced increased threats from Iranian-backed Shia militias since the start of the war. As of Thursday, US and coalition forces had come under attack more than 143 times in Iraq and Syria since October 7; Saturday’s incident appears to be the second time ballistic missiles have been used to attack the US.

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an Iranian-backed militia group, claimed responsibility for Saturday’s attack.

In a statement, the group emphasized its commitment to resisting American “occupation forces” in the region and cited the attack as a response to what it referred to as the “Zionist entity’s massacres” against the Palestinian people in Gaza. The group did not provide any evidence for its claim.

In November, militants in Iraq fired close-range ballistic missiles at coalition forces, prompting the US to carry out airstrikes against facilities used by the Iranian-backed group Kataib Hezbollah, which has been