US base Ain-al-Asad in Iraq is hit by missiles as Middle East tinderbox threatens to explode into war
TWO missiles have hit an Iraqi air base that houses US forces in an attack which threatens to ramp up already red-hot tensions in the Middle East.
Two Soviet-made Katyusha rockets were blasted towards the base in western Iraq with one plummeting down inside the base itself, security sources confirmed.
A pro-Iranian commander told AFP at least “two rockets targeted” the base which is also used to station a number of other international troops.
Several US personnel were injured in the blasts, a separate source told Reuters.
It is unclear who officials believe carried out the attack, but Iranian proxies in the Middle East are known to target US controlled areas when tensions reach boiling point.
In April, another US military base in Syria was struck by rockets in a Iraqi drone strike.
Earlier this week, the US deployed a fleet of warships and fighter jets to the Middle East amid fears of an attack from Iran in response to recent Israeli blasts.
Officials in America, Israel’s most powerful ally, expect a retaliatory April 13th-style attack from Iran which could hit in the next few days.
President Joe Biden reportedly held a crisis meeting with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday to discuss the Middle East melting pot.
Biden assured Netanyahu that US military deployments would be sent out to help Israel defend itself against the looming threats.
A recent spate of targeted high-profile assassinations by Israel, killing two senior Hamas leaders and a Hezbollah commander, has led to serious WW3 fears.
On April 1 Iran’s Syrian embassy in the capital Damascus was destroyed in a suspected Israeli strike – killing several top brass IRGC commanders.
Iran and its proxy groups Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis have all made threats to seek revenge for the deaths of their allies and leaders in the past week.
And as boiling tensions in the region flare, Tehran’s nuclear capabilities remain a “serious” concern for the future of the Middle East.
An expert in the war-torn region told The Sun that Israel is gearing up to finally defeat arch enemy Iran – with a brutal attack possibly happening within hours.
Tel Aviv is preparing to “cut the head off the snake” of Tehran and its sprawling proxy network as they plan an imminent coordinated strike that could spark all-out war, she warned.
It comes as several countries including Britain and the US have told their citizens in Lebanon to leave the country immediately.
Over the weekend up to 30 Hezbollah rockets were obliterated by Israel’s incredible $1billion Iron Dome air defence system.
Dramatic footage showed the one-of-a-kind air defence beast kicking into action and shooting down missiles over Galilee.
Rising tensions in the Middle East
By Ellie Doughty, Foreign News Reporter
TENSIONS in the Middle East have long been a fluctuating and dangerous area of global concern.
Conflict between Israel and Palestine in the Gaza Strip, West Bank and on Israeli territory itself is nothing new.
Iran and Israel have long been in conflict with each other too.
But after a brutal terrorist attack by Hamas on Israeli soil in October last year, things entered a new phase.
Israel hit back like never before, unleashing almost ten months of ground warfare and airstrikes on the decimated enclave in a bid to destroy Hamas and rescue its hostages.
The Iran-backed terror group had killed some 1,200 Israeli people and kidnapped 250 more in the hideous October 7 massacre.
The UN estimates that at least 39,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the fresh war there broke out.
This figure includes data from the health ministry in Gaza which falls under Hamas domain and has sparked concerns from officials about accuracy.
Now, after almost ten months of war in Gaza, tensions have appeared to enter an all new high after a series of deadly strikes and high-profile assassinations in late July and early August.
On Saturday July 27, a rocket strike fired from southern Lebanon hit a football pitch in Golan Heights – a Druze village occupied by Israel – killing 12 young people including children.
Israel and the US both said Hezbollah, the largest of Iran’s terror proxy groups, operating out of Lebanon, were responsible for the deadly strike.
On Monday July 28, the IDF dropped an airstrike on an area of Beirut, Lebanon’s capital, killing Hezbollah’s most senior military commander Fuad Shukr.
Less than two days later, at around 2am on Wednesday July 30, Israel killed Hamas’ top political leader Ismail Haniyeh as he slept in Iran’s capital Tehran.
Israel has yet to explicitly claim responsibility for the hit, but after vowing to take out all of Hamas last year, they are widely believed to be behind it.
US officials have also said they suspect Israel of being behind the assassination.
On the morning of Thursday August 1 morning the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) announced that a strike on Khan Younis, southern Gaza, had killed Mohammed Deif on July 13.
Dief had worked as head of Hamas’ ruthless military wing, the al-Qassam brigades, since 2002.
It marked another major loss for Iran’s terror proxy groups in the region.
Early reports this week suggested Ismail Haniyeh was taken out in a precision strike, when a rocket was fired from a drone outside his window and detonated inside the room.
Then an investigation by the New York Times suggested a bomb had been planted in his room at the military-run compound where he was staying and detonated remotely.
Unnamed Iranian officials also shared the explosive theory with The Telegraph, further confusing the murky details around Haniyeh’s death.
The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), concluded its investigation into the humiliating security breach on Saturday August 1 and said he died after a “short-range projectile” was fired from outside the building.
A statement shared on Iranian state TV said a 7kg rocket warhead was used in the attack.
Iran and its proxy groups; Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen all vowed to seek revenge on Israel over the assassination of Haniyeh.
Then, on the night of Saturday August 3, Hezbollah fired some 30 rockets from Lebanon towards Galilee in northern Israel.
Tel Aviv’s impressive Iron Dome Defence system launched into action, destroying “most” of the missiles and no one was hurt.
But the UK, US and France have all urged their citizens to evacuate from Lebanon as fears of a wider war breaking out in the region continue to spiral.