Troops at a U.S. military base in northeastern Syria are reeling from missiles fired from Iraq in the first such attack against American forces in months, security officials said Monday.
At least five rockets were reportedly launched from the Iraqi town of Zummar towards the base in the Syrian town Rumalyn, but no U.S. personnel were injured, according to security sources.
An official spoke of a “failed rocket attack,” but it was not clear if the rockets had failed to hit the base or been destroyed before they reached the site.
It was also unclear whether the base was the intended target, according to observers familiar with the situation.
Yet an aircraft from the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq and Syria carried out a strike against the launcher in Iraq, security officials said.
Two security sources and a senior army officer in Iraq added that a small truck with a rocket launcher fixed on the back had been parked in Zummar, a town on the border with Syria.
An army officer said the destroyed truck was seized for further investigation, and initial investigation showed it was damaged by an air strike. “We are communicating with the coalition forces in Iraq to share information on this attack,” the officer added in published remarks.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.
Yet a social media group linked to the Kataib Hezbollah militia said armed factions in Iraq resumed attacks after a near-three month pause due to “little progress” in talks to end the U.S.-led military operation in the country.
Another popular group on the social media platform Telegram, close to Kataib Hezbollah, Sabreen News, said there had been “no official statement” by the Iran-backed faction.
Sunday’s attack came after Tehran warned the U.S. to stay out of Iran’s fight with Syria. Iran backs several groups in the region fighting against Israel, the U.S., and other allies of the Jewish nation.
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