However, the Pentagon said it was not aware of such an attack
Baghdad, Iraq:
A suicide drone struck an airbase in Iraq housing US troops on Saturday, Iraqi security sources said, but the Pentagon said it could not confirm such an attack took place.
Armed factions close to Iran have threatened to attack US interests in Iraq over Washington’s support for Israel since Hamas militants killed more than 1,400 people in a shocking cross-border attack from Gaza on October 7.
More than 4,300 people have been killed in Israel’s retaliatory bombardment of Gaza, according to the Hamas-controlled Health Ministry.
“The drone landed in the (Ain al-Assad) base” in western Anbar province without causing any casualties or damage, a military source told AFP on condition of anonymity.
A statement on Telegram channels used by pro-Iranian armed groups said the attack was carried out by a group calling itself the Islamic Resistance in Iraq.
A second Iraqi security source told AFP that the attack involved two suicide drones. “The first was intercepted and the second crashed due to a technical problem,” the source said.
However, the Pentagon said it was not aware of such an attack.
“We have not seen any operational reporting that confirms” that an attack took place on Saturday, a US Defense Department official said on condition of anonymity.
Since Wednesday, three Iraqi bases used by US-led coalition forces have been targeted in five separate attacks: Ain al-Assad, the Al-Harir base in northern Iraq and a military camp near Baghdad airport.
The United States currently has about 2,500 troops stationed at the three bases, in addition to about 1,000 soldiers from other countries in the coalition created to fight the jihadist group Islamic State.
The attacks came after factions loyal to Iran stepped up threats against the United States.
One of them, the Hezbollah Brigades, demanded that US forces “leave” Iraq, “or they will taste the fires of hell.”
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