Iran has fired ‘more than a dozen’ ballistic missiles at two military bases in Iraq where American troops and coalition forces are based.
“It is clear that these missiles were launched from Iran and targeted at least two Iraqi military bases hosting U.S. military and coalition personnel at Al-Asad and Erbil,” report says.
There were no immediate reports of casualties.
Iranian officials said the attacks were the start of a promised retaliation for the killing of a top Revolutionary Guards commander, Qasem Soleimani.
“The fierce revenge by the Revolutionary Guards has begun,” Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said in a statement on its channel.
The attack on the US military bases is coming hours after the remains of the commander, Suleimani, were returned to his hometown in Iran for burial.
Some Iranian officials tweeted images of Iranian flags in a pointed rejoinder to President Trump, who tweeted an American flag after General Suleimani was killed.
In a statement, the White House said, “The president has been briefed and is monitoring the situation closely and consulting with his national security team.”
On her part, speaker of the U.S. House of Reps., Nancy Pelosi said she was closely monitoring the situation, while calling for prayers.
“We’ve got to pray,” she said, adding, “I’m closely monitoring the situation.”
“We must ensure the safety of our service members, including ending needless provocations from the administration and demanding that Iran cease its violence.
“America and world cannot afford war”, speaker Pelosi tweeted minutes after the attack on Wednesday morning (local time).
