At least 24 United States troops were wounded in recent drone and rocket attacks in Iraq and Syria, the Central Command (CENTCOM) acknowledged on October 24.
The attacks on U.S. bases began following the October 17 al-Ahli Arab Hospital massacre in the Gaza Strip. Palestinian officials said that an Israeli strike hit the hospital, killing nearly 500 civilians. However, Washington backed the Israeli claim that the hospital was struck by a faulty Palestinian rocket.
The most significant of the recent attacks targeted the al-Tanf garrison in southeastern Syria on October 18. At least 20 troops suffered “minor injuries” when two suicide drones targeted the garrison, CENTCOM told NBC News, adding that one of the drones was shot down and all of the wounded troops were returned to duty.
According to CENTCOM, on the same day suicide drones targeted U.S. troops in two separate attacks on Ayn al-Assad Air Base in western Iraq. The command alleged that the drones were shot down, but said that at least four troops suffered “minor injuries” and later returned to duty. It also claimed that the debris from one drone destroyed a hangar that contained “small aircraft”.
A U.S. citizen working as a contractor also died during the day after suffering cardiac arrest when an early warning system detected another possible threat approaching Ayn al-Assad, prompting another scramble to take shelter. The death was previously disclosed by the Pentagon.
Meanwhile, U.S. officials told The Washington Post that rocket attacks targeted three U.S. bases, Mission Support Site Euphrates in Syria, Ayn al-Assad Air Base and the Baghdad Diplomatic Support Center in Iraq, on October 19. The officials didn’t report any casualties or material losses.
Attacks continued for the next three days, with suicide drones hitting unoccupied areas in Bashur in the northernIraqi Kurdistan region and targeting Ain al-Asad and al-Tanf again, according to the officials.
Brigade General Patrick Ryder, a Pentagon spokesman, told reporters earlier on October 24 that there had been 13 attacks over the last week, with ten in Iraq and three in Syria. Pressed for additional details, he said that CENTCOM was compiling a “comprehensive list for the public record” to be released “as soon as possible.”
“We’re still continuing to ensure that this accounts for everything,” he said. “We’ll get that to you as soon as possible.”
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a coalition of Iranian-backed Shia armed factions that formed a special operations room to support Gaza in the wake of al-Ahli Arab Hospital massacre, claimed responsibility for all recent drone and rocket attacks on U.S. bases in the country and neighboring Syria.
On October 24 and 25, the coalition said that it had targeted Ayn al-Assad and Kharab Al-Jir Airstrip in northeastern Syria with rockets.
Attacks on U.S. bases in Syria and Iraq will likely continue as long as Washington is showing unconditional support for the Israeli war on Gaza. The Pentagon is currently deploying additional forces, including air defense systems, in preparation for even more escalation.