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Iran Fires 'Tens' Of Rockets At Iraqi Military Base Housing US Troops

Iran Fires 'Tens' Of Rockets At Iraqi Military Base Housing US Troops

Iran's state media reports the rockets were in response to a US drone strike that killed Iran's top military commander Qassem Soleimani

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie

Iranian state media says several rockets have been fired at two Iraqi military bases that are housing US troops.

The attack was in response to a US drone strike that killed Iran's top military commander, Qassem Soleimani, on Friday.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said in a statement: "The fierce revenge by the Revolutionary Guards has begun."

PA

The New York Times reports Iraq's Joint Military Command confirmed that several rockets had hit the American base at Asad, in Anbar Province, in western Iraq and the Erbil base in Iraqi Kurdistan.

US Defence Department spokesman Jonathan Hoffman said: "Iran launched more than a dozen ballistic missiles against US military and coalition forces in Iraq."

He added that damage assessments are underway and defences are being reinforced.

The Pentagon's chief spokesmanJonathan Hoffman said: "It is clear that these missiles were launched from Iran and targeted at least two Iraqi military bases hosting U.S. military and coalition personnel at Al-Asad and Erbil."

The White House has released a statement: "The President has been briefed and is monitoring the situation closely and consulting with his national security team."

Local media reports the rockets hit the base at 1.20am, which was the same time Major General Qassim Suleimani was killed last week.

The drone attack sparked hundreds of thousands of people to rally in Iran against America, with many calling for a reprisal attack. US Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper has defended the attack, saying it was vital to stop other terrorist activities.

Thousands rally as Qassem Soleimani is carried through Iran.
PA

Mr. Esper said: "He's been conducting terrorist activities against us and our coalition partners for over 20 years.

"He has the blood of hundreds of Americans, soldiers, on his hands and wounded thousands more. And then we could talk about all of the mayhem he's caused against the Syrian people, the people of Lebanon. Even his own people in Iran.

"To somehow suggest that he wasn't a legitimate target, I think, is fanciful. He was clearly on the battlefield."

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: World News, News