Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched a rocket attack against an Iraqi military base which houses U.S. troops.Tasnim News, an Iranian news outlet closely linked to the IRGC, published a statement from the IRGC which claimed it fired “tens” of rockets at Al Asad Air Base in Iraq in an operation dubbed “Operation Martyr Soleimani.” A senior Iraqi official confirmed the strike on Al-Asad to The Daily Beast.On Twitter, White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham wrote that “We are aware of the reports of attacks on US facilities in Iraq. The President has been briefed and is monitoring the situation closely and consulting with his national security team.”The IRGC claimed the strike was the country’s “vengeance” for the assassination of former Qods Force commander Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani. The IRGC’s statement warned other countries housing U.S. military bases that they could become targets. In addition, the IRGC statement said: "By no means do we consider [Israel] separate in these crimes from the American criminal regime."The IRGC-linked Fars News agency also published a video of what it said were rockets launched at Ain Al Asad Air Base in Iraq, which is home to a small number of U.S. forces. The video shows what appears to be a handful of rockets streaking through the night sky. Throughout the course of the U.S.-led war on ISIS, the base was home to both American troops and military equipment, including MQ-9 Reaper and MQ-1C armed drones. Unknown militants in Iraq attacked the base with smaller rockets in early December, shortly after Vice President Mike Pence arrived at the base for a visit.Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
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