Iran struck back at the US for the killing of a top Iranian general early Wednesday, firing a series of surface-to-surface missiles at multiple Iraqi air bases housing US troops and warning the US and its allies in the region not to retaliate. US officials confirmed airstrikes at the al-Asad air base in Anbar Province but there was no immediate word on injuries, the AP reports. Iranian state TV said the attack was in revenge for the killing of Revolutionary Guard Gen. Qassem Soleimani, whose funeral Tuesday in his hometown of Kerman prompted angry calls to avenge his death, which drastically raised tensions in the Middle East. Amid slightly different reports, it appears Iran attacked two US air bases—one in al-Asad and another in Erbil, in northern Iraq.
US military officials tell the New York Times that over a dozen ballistic missiles were launched, and damage is still being assessed, while the Washington Post reports that at least six rockets hit the al-Asad base. "It is clear that these missiles were launched from Iran and targeted at least two Iraqi military bases hosting US military and coalition personnel at al-Assad and Erbil," says Jonathan Hoffman, assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs, per CNN. "We are working on initial battle damage assessments." He adds that the bases were on high alert "due to indications that the Iranian regime planned to attack our forces and interests in the region." Iran initially said it had fired "tens" of surface-to-surface missiles at the al-Asad base, per the Guardian. (More Iran stories.)
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