Several US personnel were injured in a suspected rocket attack at the Ain al-Asad air base in western Iraq on Monday, Fox News reported, citing US defense officials.
A US defense official confirmed the suspected rocket attack to Fox News, after Reuters had reported that at least two Katyusha rockets were fired towards the base, which houses US-led forces.
The official said that "several" US personnel were injured during the incident.
"Base personnel are conducting a post-attack damage assessment," the official added. "We will provide updates as more information becomes available."
Officials have not released the exact number of injuries. A source told Reuters that the rockets fell inside the base.
Monday’s attack marks the third time in recent weeks that the base has come under attack, but the first time that any injuries have been reported.
In late July, multiple rockets were launched at Ain al-Asad airbase. No damage or casualties were reported. Two US officials said the base itself had not been struck in the attack.
The Ain al-Asad base had come under attack by two armed drones the previous week as well, but that attack was the first one against US forces in Iraq since early February, when Iranian-backed groups in Iraq announced they would stop their attacks against US troops.
That announcement came two days after a drone attack in Jordan killed three US service members and wounded dozens of others.
Before stopping their attacks in February, the pro-Iranian militias in Iraq had upped the volume of their attacks, and launched dozens of attacks on bases in Iraq and Syria which host US troops. The US retaliated by striking Iranian-linked sites in both Iraq and Syria.