Tensions with Iran appear underpinned by similar discussions about deterrence. UK foreign secretary Dominic Raab called the ambassador's arrest "a flagrant violation of international law". Only essential personnel such as tower guards and drone pilots remained unsheltered as they were protecting against a ground assault which base commanders expected would follow the missile attack. Fajr 3 rocket that has a 43km range. [6][78] In his televised White House statement, while being flanked by the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Trump sought to reduce tensions by downplaying the impact of the missile attacks, observing that Iran appeared to be "standing down", and ruling out a direct military response. Later, Iran sent explosive device technology to Iraq. The Jerusalem Post Customer Service Center can be contacted with any questions or requests: Sign up for The Jerusalem Post Premium Plus for just $5, Upgrade your reading experience with an ad-free environment and exclusive content, Copyright © 2021 Jpost Inc. All rights reserved. In the lead up to the attacks, Iranian officials had said Iran would retaliate against U.S. forces for the killing of general Qasem Soleimani in Baghdad on 3 January 2020. [34] Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley believed the missiles were intended to cause structural damage, to destroy vehicles, equipment, and aircraft, and to kill personnel, adding that defensive measures by U.S. troops and early warning systems were what prevented personnel from being killed. [73][74], Shortly after the attacks, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration issued a notice to airmen (NOTAM) prohibiting U.S. civil aviation operators from operating in the airspace over Iraq, Iran, and the waters of the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. ", "US 'likely' to deploy anti-missile system to protect American troops in Iraq", "Trump: New sanctions on Iran but U.S. "ready to embrace peace, "Live updates: Trump says Iranian strike caused no American or Iraqi deaths; new sanctions on Iran will be imposed", "No Australian troops, staff hurt in Iran missile attacks on US airbases in Iraq", "Canadian military personnel in Iraq safe after base targeted in Iran missile strikes", "Militærbase med danske soldater ramt af iranske missiler—meldes i god behold", "What We Know: Iran's Missile Strike Against The U.S. [96] However, on 12 January, at least four Iraqi soldiers were injured after seven mortars attacked an airbase in Baghdad that housed U.S. [93] In the U.S., both Democratic and Republican members of the Senate advised the Trump administration to deescalate its stance with Iran. By the summer of 2018 a Kataib Hezbollah headquarters, in a villa near Albukamal, was coordinating Iranian weapons trafficking from Iraq to Syria. [11] Lieutenant Colonel Tim Garland, Commander of 1-5 Infantry, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team at Al Asad base, said the missile volleys were timed in such a way as to trick soldiers into thinking the bombing was over. [39] Fox News reported that due to the lack of a missile defense system at the bases, no missiles were shot down. Exact locations were not disclosed, but U.S. officials later confirmed their troops had adequate advanced warning of the attack and had taken shelter. Iraq’s fleet of TELs was able to disperse and the use of F-15s and U-2 spy planes, as well as A-10s, didn’t work in finding the launchers. There are also the Ghadr, Khorramshahr and Emad missiles. from Israel. The IRGC said the strikes came at roughly the same time of day Soleimani died[30] and added that if the U.S. retaliated, they would respond in kind. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard warned the U.S. and its regional allies against retaliating over the missile attack against the Ain al-Asad air base in Iraq’s western Anbar province. A 2012 Rand report stated that China played a “crucial” role in establishing Iran’s military-industrial sector and is suspected of helping Iran with its ballistic missile technology. [41][42] The U.S. defense secretary said the damage was limited to "tentage, taxiways, the parking lot, damaged helicopter, things like that, nothing I would describe as major". [92] British prime minister Boris Johnson denounced the missile attacks on U.S. forces, urging Iran to avoid further "reckless and dangerous" strikes. [52][53] Damaged structures also reportedly included a special forces compound, and two hangars, in addition to the U.S. drone operators' housing unit. Facebook. [54], U.S. soldiers stationed at Ayn Al Asad later confirmed that they had received advanced warning of the missile attack before the Iraqis notified them, and that by 11:00 p.m. (local), several hours before the first missiles landed, most of the American section of the base was in lockdown while other troops had been flown out. [82], On 11 January, after The New York Times obtained and published video showing the moment the aircraft was hit by an Iranian missile,[83] Iran admitted to having shot down the plane due to human error, stating their military mistook the plane for a "hostile target". [5] ISNA added that the code used to launch the missiles was "Oh Zahra". Exact locations were not disclosed, but U.S. officials later confirmed their troops had adequate advanced warning of the attack and had took shelter. However, it has also proved that in Syria the rockets it supplied to groups intended to be used against Israel – such as in the salvo in May 2018 or the four rockets fired in November 2019 – were not as sophisticated. OPEC's secretary-general Mohammed Barkindo, while on conference in Abu Dhabi, announced that Iraqi oil facilities were secure. According to Tasnim News Agency, he was arrested for "suspicion of organising, provoking and directing radical actions". During the ‘Great Scud Hunt’ of 1991, US-led Coalition air power flew 2,493 missions trying to find Scud missiles that were supposedly out in Iraq’s western desert. Iran has shown sophisticated capabilities in the past, such as the drone and cruise missile swarm attack on Saudi Arabia in September 2019. It has also moved 122 mm. Its latest attack was likely against. AN IRANIAN FLAG is pictured near in a missile during a military drill, with the participation of Iran’s air defense units in October. (January 7, 2020 / JNS) More than a dozen ballistic missiles hit the Ain Al-Asad and Irbil air bases in western Iraq early Wednesday morning, with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) taking responsibility for the attacks. [63], In contrast to the U.S. reports, Alqabas, a Kuwaiti newspaper, wrote on 18 January that 16, not 11, U.S. service members were transferred to Camp Arifjan, some of whom were treated for severe burns and shrapnel wounds as well as TBI. [38] Some soldiers lamented losing all their personal belongings—clothing, books, pictures of their families, and mementos they had carried through more than a decade in the military. Troops re-emerged from their shelters at the break of dawn. [27] U.S. defense secretary Mark Esper later gave a similar estimate, saying 16 short-range missiles had been launched from three locations within Iran, with 11 striking Ayn al-Asad (instead of the prior estimate of 10). Bases in Iraq: Live Updates", "US troops were injured in Iran missile attack despite Pentagon initially saying there were no casualties", "Iran Fires on U.S. Iran's Supreme Leader says its ballistic missile attack on forces in Iraq was "a slap on the face" for the US, and hinted at further military action. IRAN’S ARSENAL of rockets is well known. That was back in 1991, and technology has improved since. [66] Another was evacuated to Kuwait. The Badr corps and leaders – like Hadi al-Amiri and the late Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis – learned their trade in the 1980s. forces. [54], On 16 January, over a week after the attack, several U.S. defense officials confirmed that "out of an abundance of caution" 11 U.S. troops were medically evacuated to military hospitals—three to Camp Arifjan in Ahmad al-Jaber Air Base, Kuwait and eight to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Landstuhl, Germany—to be treated for traumatic brain injury and to undergo further evaluations. T he chair of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff has disputed reports that Iran deliberately avoided hitting Americans during its ballistic missile attack on US forces in Iraq. [35], According to the Iraqi military, 22 missiles were fired between 1:45 a.m. and 2:15 a.m. local, 17 toward Ayn Al Asad base and five at Erbil. [59] Iranian aerospace commander Amir Ali Hajizadeh said the intention was not to kill any American troops but that they could have planned the operation to do so and stated that Iran launched cyber attacks that disabled U.S. missile tracking systems during the strikes. [8] Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Iran symbolically targeted the bases, alleging they were the bases used to launch the aircraft that assisted in the killing of Soleimani. Iran has fired 22 ballistic missiles at two Iraqi bases housing US and coalition troops. [28][29] The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) took responsibility for the attack and announced that it was carried out in response to the killing of Soleimani. [55][56][57] However, Pentagon officials said they believed the missiles were intended to kill Americans. [12], In May 2020, 29 soldiers injured in the attack were awarded the Purple Heart. to 700 km. In February 2018, as the PMU was being incorporated into the Iraqi Security Forces, Akram al-Kaabi of Harakat Hezbollah vowed to support Hezbollah. [26][5] The attacks unfolded in two waves, each about an hour apart;[27] Fars News Agency subsequently released video of the missile launches. [98], Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said during the inauguration of the TurkStream gas pipeline alongside Russian president Vladimir Putin, that "no one has the right to throw the whole region, especially Iraq, into a new ring of fire for the sake of their own interests." Iran has vastly increased the precision of its missiles over time, and it has added drones and other munitions to its arsenal. Iain Marlow, Michael Arnold and Karen Leigh 8 January, 2020 6:24 pm IST. IRAN USED the weakness of Iraq’s state structure to build a militia army in Iraq called the Hashd al-Shaabi, or PMU. fatalities. Donald Trump tweets ‘all is well’ as UK says it is ‘concerned by reports of casualties’ (West Asia News Agency/Reuters), (photo credit: WEST ASIA NEWS AGENCY/REUTERS), Iran could move up to 200 long-range missiles to. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard warned the U.S. and its regional allies against retaliating over the missile attack against the Ain al-Asad air base in Iraq’s western Anbar province. [49] Satellite photos provided by Planet Labs showed extensive damage to the Al Asad base, with at least five structures damaged in the attack, showing that the missiles were precise enough to hit individual buildings. [32][33] A spokesman for United States Central Command said fifteen missiles were fired; ten hit the Ayn Al Asad airbase, one hit the Erbil base, and four failed to reach their targets. The bases house U.S. troops. [34] Kurdish security officials told CNN that at least two targeted Erbil: one hit Erbil International Airport and did not explode, the other landed about 20 miles west of Erbil. Russians impressed after Iran’s missile attack on US base in Iraq: General Feb 05, 2021 13:29 UTC A commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) said the last year’s retaliatory missile strike on the US military base of Ain al-Assad in Iraq was so impressive that Russia admitted that Iran has changed the world equations. An airstrike also destroyed the KH villa in Albukamal in June 2018.