Rockets were fired late Sunday from northern Iraq at a military base in Syria housing a US-led coalition, according to Iraqi security forces. The anti-jihadist coalition said one of its fighter jets in Iraq had “destroyed a launcher in self-defence after reports of a failed rocket attack” near a base in northeast Syria. It is the first major attack against the coalition forces in several weeks.
Iraqi forces had earlier said they launched a major search operation in the northern Nineveh province and found the vehicle used in the attack. The group has claimed most of the attacks on US forces carried between mid-October and early February.
Following a series of rocket attacks and drone strikes by pro-Iran armed factions against US soldiers deployed in the Middle East over the winter, there had been several weeks of calm. A January 28 drone attack killed three US soldiers in the Jordanian desert on the Syrian border. In response, the US military struck dozens of targets in Syria and Iraq, aiming for pro-Iran forces, and drawing criticism from the governments of both countries.
Sunday night’s rocket attack came against the background of increasing tension in the region, with a flare-up between Iran and Israel. Early on Saturday, an explosion at an Iraqi military base killed one person and wounded eight others. CENTCOM, the US military command in the region, denied involvement in a strike there. The Israeli army refused to comment.
