Four U.S. troops and a U.S. contractor were injured when a pair of rockets struck the Asad Airbase in Iraq’s western Anbar province Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh announced on Aug. 8.
The casualty assessment has fluctuated since the Aug. 5 attack, as U.S. military personnel continue to assess the troops deployed there. Singh acknowledged, during a Thursday press briefing, that an earlier U.S. military assessment concluded five U.S. service members and two U.S. contractors were injured in the attack.
The earlier U.S. military assessment also indicated two of the injured personnel had to be evacuated for further treatment. Singh, on Thursday, said three injured service members had actually been evacuated to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany for further treatment, while the fourth injured service member and the contractor have since returned to duty.
“It was two rockets launched by what we believe to be an Iranian backed Shia militia group,” Singh added.
The Pentagon spokeswoman said the Iraqi government has arrested five suspects in connection with the rocket attack.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant discussed the attack on the Asad Airbase on Monday evening and, according to Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, the defense officials agreed that the attack “marked a dangerous escalation and demonstrated Iran’s destabilizing role in the region.”
Tensions have been particularly heightened with Iran after Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in a blast in Tehran on July 31. While no group has claimed responsibility for the deadly explosion, Iranian leaders were quick to blame Israel and the United States and threatened to retaliate.
Iran’s threats come as Israel is fighting on multiple fronts after the deadly Oct. 7 Hamas attacks in southern Israel.
Israeli forces have been fighting in the Gaza Strip since October to eliminate Hamas, which the United States and Israel have long considered a terrorist organization. Hezbollah—another U.S. and Israeli-designated terrorist group—joined the fray shortly after the Gaza war broke out, launching drones, rockets, and other artillery from Lebanon into northern Israel.
The Houthis—yet another U.S. and Israeli-designated terrorist group—have also launched drone and missile attacks from Yemen targeting Israel since October. The Yemeni faction has harassed international shipping through the Red Sea with drone and missile attacks and has said it targeted vessels connected to Israel.
Hezbollah claimed responsibility for numerous drone and rocket attacks across northern Israel over the weekend.
The Houthis, likewise, said they shot down a U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drone over Yemen and struck a Liberian-flagged container ship in a missile attack over the weekend.
Johnson Presses Biden to Unblock Weapons Shipments
The U.S. military has taken some steps to bolster its defensive capabilities in the region. Last week, the Department of Defense announced Austin had ordered ballistic missile defense-capable cruisers and destroyers to deploy to the CENTCOM area of responsibility and directed another fighter squadron to deploy to the region to aid in air defense efforts.
But on Tuesday, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) urged President Joe Biden to take even further steps to equip both U.S. and Israeli forces to respond to any potential Iranian attacks.
“After repeated attacks on American troops in the region, and while Israel is under threat from Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran, the United States cannot hesitate to defend our servicemembers and our ally,” Johnson said in a statement he shared Aug. 6 on social media.
The Speaker also called on the Biden administration to release all withheld or delayed weapons shipments to Israel and “make clear that there will be decisive economic, military, and international ramifications should Iran engage in or support any attacks.”
The Biden administration publicly acknowledged pausing a shipment of munitions, including 2,000-pound bombs, to Israel in May, citing concerns about harm to civilians in Israel’s ongoing war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip. That bomb shipment has remained under a Defense Department review process in the months since.
Many Republicans, including Johnson, criticized the decision to pause the bomb shipment when it first came to light.
Several Democratic lawmakers supported Biden’s decision to withhold the bomb shipment at the time.
“The U.S. should continue to support the return of hostages held by Hamas, advance regional stability, and combat antisemitism, but we shouldn’t be giving Israel 2,000 pound bombs,” Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) said in May.
“If you believe Israel has a responsibility to mitigate civilian harm while still dealing with Hamas in a targeted and effective manner, you should support the President’s policy,” Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.), the ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, also said in May.
But Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.), by contrast, said he was deeply disappointed by the May pause, telling The Epoch Times, “I don’t believe there should be any conditions with Israel.”
The Epoch Times reached out to the White House for comment on Johnson’s latest calls to release any pending weapons shipments to Israel. The White House didn’t respond by press time.
Update: This article has been updated to reflect the U.S. military’s revised casualty assessment following the Aug. 5 rocket attack on the Asad Airbase.
From The Epoch Times