Iraqi Resistance Claims Attack On Al-Asad Base, U.S. Confirms Use Of Ballistic Missiles

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The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group of Iranian-backed factions, has claimed responsibility for a large-scale indirect fire attack that targeted United States forces in al-Asad Air Base on January 20.

In a statement, the group said that the air base was targeted with a “barrage of rockets” in response to “the crimes of the Zionist entity” against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) revealed later that a mix of rockets and ballistic missiles was used in the attack on al-Asad Air Base.

“Most of the missiles were intercepted by the base’s air defense systems while others impacted on the base. Damage assessments are ongoing,” the command said in a statement posted to X, previously known as Twitter.

CENTCOM also acknowledged that a number of U.S. personnel were undergoing evaluation for traumatic brain injuries and alleged that one Iraqi service member was also wounded in the indirect fire attack.

U.S. officials told Fox News correspondent Lucas Tomlinson that 15 missiles were fired from a MIM-104 Patriot air defense system deployed at al-Asad Air Base to intercept incoming rockets and ballistic missiles during the attack. This marked the first confirmed use of the system since the beginning of attacks against U.S. forces in Iraq after the outbreak of the war in Gaza.

Since October 17, ten days after the start of the war, more than 140 attacks have targeted U.S. forces in Iraq and neighboring Syria. The IRI claimed responsibility for most of the attacks.

The U.S. responded more than once, attacking targets linked to the IRI in both Iraq and Syria. However, the group is getting bolder and its attacks are becoming more complex, as evident by the last large-scale indirect fire attack on al-Asad Air Base.

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