Coffins of Gen. Qassem Soleimani and others killed in Iraq by a US drone strikeErfan Kouchari/AP
Update, 7:22 pm ET: Pentagon officials confirmed that Iranian forces launched more than a dozen ballistic missiles at two Iraqi military bases hosting US personnel.
DOD statement on #Iran retaliating against US assassination of #Soleimani. pic.twitter.com/XUjgo8f5J8
— Bahman Kalbasi (@BahmanKalbasi) January 8, 2020
Iranian forces fired missiles at two US airbases in western Iraq, escalating tensions with the United States in the aftermath of a US strike that killed a top Iranian Revolutionary Guard commander, Gen. Qassem Soleimani, Iranian state media confirmed on Wednesday.
Iran took credit for the attack with a statement on the Telegram channel: “The fierce revenge by the Revolutionary Guards has begun.”
A US official confirms to @ABC that ballistic missiles have been fired from inside Iran at multiple US military facilities inside Iraq. The facilities include Erbil in northern Iraq and Al Asad Air Base in western Iraq, the official said. We do not have information on casualties.
— Stephanie Wash (@WashNews) January 7, 2020
White House officials are aware of the Iranian airstrikes, which come just days after President Donald Trump warned of swift retaliation against Iranian forces if they attacked American personnel. On Tuesday, Defense Secretary Mark Esper justified the killing of Soleimani, noting that Iran’s top commander planned attacks against American forces.
The United States just spent Two Trillion Dollars on Military Equipment. We are the biggest and by far the BEST in the World! If Iran attacks an American Base, or any American, we will be sending some of that brand new beautiful equipment their way…and without hesitation!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 5, 2020
WH Press Sec: “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.”
— Craig Caplan (@CraigCaplan) January 7, 2020
This is a breaking story. We will continue to monitor and post updates here.
