Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has launched dozens of missiles at two US airbases in Iraq in the first act of Islamic Republic’s promise to avenge the assassination of IRGC’s Quds Force General Qassem Suleimani.
The IRGC announced that the Ain al-Asad in Anbar province in western Iraq was hit with dozens of missiles, warning a US counter-attack would be met with an even “more crushing response” and threatening to strike the Zionist entity and America’s “allied governments.”
US base in Iraq’s northern region of Erbil was also among targets.
“Shahid Soleimani Operation” was launched to respond to the US criminal act of assassination of IRGC Quds Force Commander Lt. Gen. Qassem Suleimani, a statement issued by IRGC said.
“We advise the American people to recall US troops (deployed in the) region in order to avoid further losses and not to allow the lives of its soldiers to be further threatened by the ever-growing hatred of the regime,” the statement added.
The IRGC also said that no missiles were intercepted in the attack on US bases.
“At approximately 5.30 pm (2230 GMT) on January 7, Iran launched more than a dozen ballistic missiles against US military and coalition forces in Iraq,” Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs Jonathan Hoffman said in a statement.
The Pentagon said it was still “working on initial battle damage assessments” after “Iran launched more than a dozen ballistic missiles against US military and coalition forces in Iraq.”
“It is clear that these missiles were launched from Iran and targeted at least two Iraqi military bases hosting US military and coalition personnel” at Ain al-Asad and Arbil, the Pentagon said.
There were no immediate reports on casualties. The Pentagon said the facilities had been on “high alert” after days of steadily mounting tension and exchanges of threats of war.
The White House said in a separate statement that President Donald Trump was “monitoring the situation closely and consulting with his national security team.”
Source: Agencies
