Washington DC, United States: An attack on the US military was thwarted in Iraq on Wednesday. The authorities have informed that they intercepted two drones.
According to the reports, this was the first such attack on the US Defence Forces in Iraq after more than a year of deployment. Two officials have denied saying anything about the suspect of the attack when asked by Reuters. However, it is to be noted that the White House is on high alert.
Several sources have underlined that the official building is under tight security to create a barrier against any activity by Iran-backed groups. These discussions are taken by the authorities amid tension between Israel and Hamas, the Palestinian-aided terrorist group.
The attack was carried out via one-way drones. The attacker targeted the Al Asad air base, which is hosted by American troops.
Iraqi armed groups threatened to attack the US:
Washington was threatened by the Iraqi armed groups aligned with Iran last week, according to Reuters. The groups warned the Biden administration for its continuous support to Israel in this war against Hamas. The group stated that it would attack the nation with missiles and drones.
This warning was released after US Defence Forces reached Israel with weapons to support the nation in this war. However, the forces have not joined the conflict. It is worth mentioning that Israel is the closest ally of the United States in the Middle East region.
The attack was hours after the attack at Gaza Hospital:
The air base was attacked hours after the Gaza hospital bombing. During this, hundreds of Palestinians lost their lives. Reuters noted that this raised the stakes for the United States President – Joe Biden, who is in Israel to show firm support towards the nation and its people.
The attack on Gaza’s Al-Ahil al-Arabi hospital was a failed missile launch by the Islamic Jihad group of Palestinians, according to the government of Israel. However, the group has denied its role.
On the other end, the Palestinian authorities have pointed fingers at the Israeli defense force for the attack. The health authorities of Palestinians have blamed the nation (Israel) for “causing a massacre.”
In this regard, the Iraqi armed group has also supported Palestinians and blamed the Israeli authorities for the attack – which killed hundreds of people. They have also aimed at the US for its firm support towards Israel.
A powerful armed faction, Kataib Hezbollah, has accused the United States of supporting Israel in “killing innocent people.” He further said, “These evil people must leave the country; otherwise, they will taste the fire of hell in this world before the afterlife,” as per Reuters.
The attack was further condemned by the Iraqi politician – Hadi Al-Amiri, leader of the Badr Organisation, which is close to Iran. He blamed Israel for the attack and termed it as “the massacre of the era.”
In a statement, he stated, “We “will not hesitate to consider America and the West as partners in this hideous massacre.”
Deployment of US soldiers in Iraq:
In Iraq, around 2,500 US troops are deployed. The objective behind the presence of the troops is to provide assistance to the local forces in combatting Islamic State.
Along with this, an additional 900 troops are in neighboring Syria. The Iranian-backed militants in Iraq have attacked the US troops in Iraq earlier also. It has also attacked the United States Embassy in Baghdad with rockets.
Although, such attacks have reportedly decreased to promote peace in the region.