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Erin Cunningham
The al-Asad air base in western Iraq, which houses some American troops, was hit by at least six missiles, according to a U.S. defense official familiar with the situation. In a tweet late Tuesday, President Trump proclaimed “All is well!” and vowed to address the nation on the situation Wednesday morning.
Here’s what we know so far:
● Iranian forces have launched more than a dozen ballistic missiles against two military bases in Iraq, claiming at least 80 U.S. soldiers killed. U.S. military said it was still assessing casualties.
● Iranian supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, called the attack a “slap in the face” of the United States, but said more needed to be done to end the U.S. presence in the region and avenge Soleimani’s death.
● President Trump will make a statement Wednesday.
● Airlines around the world are rerouting flights around Iranian and Iraqi airspace.
● Iraqi prime minister said he was informed ahead of time of the attack.
Kuwait news agency says hackers posted fake tweets about withdrawal of U.S. troops
The two messages were quickly deleted. “Our social media account (Twitter) has been hacked,” the agency said.
The messages were posted around 5:42 a.m. Eastern time “Kuwait defense minister announced today that he has received an official letter from Commander-in-chief of Camp Arifjan declaring imminent withdrawal of all US military forces in 3 days,” the first said, referring to a U.S. base in Kuwait, on the Persian Gulf.
“Kuwait Defense Minister stated that receiving such letter from Camp Arifjan was unexpected and we are communicating with U.S. Department of Defense for more details and information,” said the second.
The apparent hacking came amid soaring tensions between the United States and Iran after President Trump ordered the killing of Quds Force leader Soleimani. Iranian forces launched more than a dozen ballistic missiles against two military bases in Iraq early Wednesday that it said were in retaliation for the killing.
Iran has also threatened retaliation against other U.S. bases in the region if U.S. strikes against Tehran were launched from those bases.
Iraq’s leader informed ahead of time of Iranian strikes
“Shortly after midnight on Wednesday, 8/1/2020, we received an official oral message from the Islamic Republic of Iran that the Iranian response to the assassination of the Qasim Soleimani had begun,” said a statement from Adel Abdul Mahdi’s office.
“And at the same time, the American side called us and rockets were falling on the American forces quarters at Ein al-Assad bases in Anbar and Harir in Arbil and in other locations.”
No casualties have been reported, the statement said. The prime minister called on all parties to exercise restraint and respect Iraqi sovereignty. Abdul Mahdi has condemned the killing of Soleimani as an “assassination,” saying that the departure of U.S. and other foreign troops from Iraq is now the only way to de-escalate tensions.
Iraqi militia leader says now Iraqis’ turn to attack U.S. targets
“Now it is time for the initial response to the assassination of the martyred commander Mohandes,” Qais al-Khazali, who leads the Iran-backed Asaib Ahl al-Haq group, wrote on Twitter, referring to an Iraqi militia commander killed in the attack ordered by Trump.
“Because Iraqis are brave and zealous, their response will not be any less than that or Iran’s. That is a promise,” he said.
Pictures of Jamal Jaafar Ibrahimi, better known by his nom de guerre, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, have sprung up across Baghdad this week, tacked to monuments near the Green Zone and hanging right in front of the U.S. Embassy.
Airlines halting flights over Iran, Iraq airspace
Air France suspended flights over both Iranian and Iraqi airspace, Reuters reported the company saying on Wednesday.
AFP reported that KLM flights have been rerouted. “Until further notice, KLM has no flights over Iranian or Iraqi airspace,” a spokesman said.
A spokesman for Lufthansa said the German airline is canceling its daily flight between Frankfurt and Tehran, as well as its next planned flight on Saturday to Irbil in Iraq, Reuters reported.
Irbil was one of the areas hit overnight in Iraq, when Iran launched more than a dozen missiles against two military bases in the country.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration on Tuesday issued a notice prohibiting U.S. carriers “from operating in the airspace over Iraq, Iran, and the waters of the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.”
Other commercial airlines also rerouted flights, including Australian carrier Qantas, Malaysia Airlines, and Singapore Airlines, the Associated Press reported.
Iraqis living near U.S. Embassy abandon their homes, fearing strike
“People have left the area, others have started sleeping in their basements,” said Dima Ahmed, who lives in the Harthiya neighborhood near the embassy. “They’re worried they’ll be hit by mistake.”
Security remains tight across Baghdad’s Green Zone, where supporters of an Iran-backed militia attacked, and briefly besieged, the U.S. Embassy last week. A portrait of one of the country’s most influential militia leaders, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, who was killed in the U.S. drone strike which targeted Soleimani’s convoy on Friday, now hangs opposite the sprawling compound.
Kurdish leader fears autonomous region to be drawn in U.S.-Iranian conflict
In a statement hours later, Masrour Barzani’s government stressed that Iraq’s Kurdish region would “not be a field of conflict.”
The U.S. and Iraqi military say that several rockets landed in the region’s capital, Irbil. No casualties have yet been reported.
Supreme leader says ‘slapped’ U.S. with missile strikes
The strikes were retaliation for the death of Soleimani, the Iranian commander killed in a U.S. strike in Baghdad last week. In an address in the holy city of Qom, Khamenei said that “military action is not enough” to avenge Soleimani’s death.
The “corrupt presence of the United States in the region should come to an end,” Khamenei said. He then praised Soleimani, who was buried in his hometown Wednesday morning, as a “brave and prudent” military and political strategist.
“He would go into the heart of danger to keep others safe,” the Tasnim news agency quoted Khamenei as saying.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani also alluded to the strikes in Iraq overnight, saying that the United States may have “cut off the arm” of Soleimani but that American’s “legs” would be cut off in the region, too.
U.S. ambassador to Israel says few U.S. casualties
“Initial assessments are positive and we pray these reports are true,” Friedman said before he addressed a forum on U.S. policy on Israeli settlements in Jerusalem Wednesday.
Emirati officials call for calm, say oil flow will not be affected
In a tweet, Emirati State Minister for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash said it was “essential that the region pulls back from the current & troubling tensions. De escalation is both wise & necessary.”
UAE Energy Minister Suhail al-Mazrouei, meanwhile, said war had not yet broken out and the situation should not be exaggerated.
“We will not see a war,” he said at a conference in Abu Dhabi, according to Reuters. “This is definitely an escalation between the United States, which is an ally, and Iran, which is a neighbor.”
He added that the OPEC cartel of oil producers would make up for any shortages caused by the tensions between the United States and Iran in the region.
“We are not forecasting any shortage of supply unless there is a catastrophic escalation, which we don’t see,” he said.
Britain condemns Iranian attack on bases in Iraq
In a statement, Raab urged Iran not to engage in further attacks, adding that a war in the Middle East would only help the Islamic State group and other terrorist groups.”
Iraq says no Iraqi casualties in Iranian missiles strike on U.S. bases
The U.S. military has said it is still assessing casualties but Iran has claimed that dozens of U.S. troops were killed in the missile attack.
Iran says the attack is in retaliation for a drone strike that killed top Iranian commander Soleimani.
Iran claims dozens of U.S. deaths in missile strike
In a statement to state television the elite Revolutionary Guard said 15 missiles hit 20 critical points killing 80 soldiers, wounding 200 and destroying large quantities of military equipment, including helicopters, according to the Mehr news agency.
The Iranian press has been filled with glowing reports of the damage caused by the missile strike against two U.S. bases in Iraq in the early hours of the morning. President Trump, however, tweeted “all is well” and promised to address the nation later Wednesday.
The chief of staff of Iran’s armed forces, Maj. Gen. Mohammad Bagheri, said the missile strikes would not be the end of Iran’s retaliation and any response by the United States would only provoke more attacks.
Iran is retaliating for the Jan. 2 killing of top Iranian commander Soleimani by a U.S. drone strike.
Iran’s military has said that more than 100 U.S. targets in the region have been identified. In earlier statements, leaders have said the response would be restricted to military and civilian targets.
U.S. authorities have told commercial shipping to be cautious in waters near Iran and the FAA has banned U.S. carriers from Iraqi, Iranian and Persian Gulf airspace because of the “potential for miscalculation or misidentification” for civilian aircraft.
Escalating tensions jolt financial markets
Japan’s Nikkei was down around 2 percent midday Wednesday, and stocks in Hong Kong and Australia also declined.
The global benchmark Brent crude oil futures soared more than 3 percent to their highest since September, before paring some of the gains. U.S. stock futures also slid.
Gold — seen as a haven in times of uncertainty — surged above $1,600 an ounce for the first time in almost seven years, while the yen strengthened against the dollar.
Contractor whose death Trump cites was a naturalized U.S. citizen born in Iraq
Nawres Hamid, 33, became a naturalized citizen in 2017, according to his widow. He was the father of two boys, ages 2 and 8, she said.
In recent years, as an Arabic interpreter for U.S. forces in Iraq, Hamid was known to decorate his living space with pictures of the children, according to a co-worker.
Hamid was killed on Dec. 27 when U.S. authorities say an Iranian-backed militia fired rockets at a military base near the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk.
The attack, which injured several coalition troops, prompted Trump to order missile strikes against Iraqi militias. That in turn led to a New Year’s Eve assault on the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, and a retaliatory strike by the United States that killed Soleimani, a top Iranian military commander.
Hamid’s death has been a rallying cry for Trump. In a tweet on Dec. 31, Trump wrote: “Iran killed an American contractor, wounding many. We strongly responded, and always will. Now Iran is orchestrating an attack on the U.S. Embassy in Iraq. They will be held fully responsible. In addition, we expect Iraq to use its forces to protect the Embassy, and so notified!”
Trump says he will make statement Wednesday in response to Iranian strike
“Assessment of casualties & damages taking place now,” Trump said. “So far, so good! We have the most powerful and well equipped military anywhere in the world, by far!”
Despite Trump’s tweet, there were no public events listed for the president on the schedule sent out by the White House eight minutes earlier.
Democrats have responded to news of the strike by urging Trump not to resort to military action, with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) tweeting that America and the world “cannot afford war.”
Iranian foreign minister says his country took ‘proportionate measures’
Warren and other Democrats call for de-escalation, voice concern for U.S. troops
“For any of you who haven’t been able to follow it, within the last hour, the Iranian government has announced that it has sent missiles to attack our military bases in Iraq,” she said. “My three brothers all served in the military. … My heart and my prayers are with our military and with their families in Iraq and around the world. This is a reminder of why we need to de-escalate tension in the Middle East. The American people do not want a war with Iran.”
Former Obama administration housing chief Julián Castro, who was in Brooklyn to introduce Warren at their first joint event since his endorsement of her, also opened with mention of the airstrikes.
“I wanted to just begin by saying that tonight we’re thinking about our men and women in uniform, especially those who are stationed in Iraq. And we’re praying for their safety,” he said.
Castro, who went on to also mention the massive earthquake that had caused widespread damage in Puerto Rico, said developments on the island and in Iraq were “two very powerful and poignant reminders of why all of us have a role to play: engaging in our democracy, voting, and ushering in new leadership in 2020 with a new president.”
Several of the other Democratic White House candidates took to Twitter to voice concern for U.S. troops in Iraq in the wake of the Iranian strike.
“Tonight, Americans in Iraq are under fire,” former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg said. “My prayers are with them, their loved ones, and their families.”
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (Minn.) said that the United States “must do all we can to protect our servicemembers and Americans at risk.”
Klobuchar did not attend a previously scheduled fundraiser in Washington Tuesday night due to the Iranian strike.
Military unclear if there were U.S. casualties in attacks on two military bases
One U.S. military official, reached for comment earlier Tuesday evening, said U.S. troops were still assessing what happened.
Representative to Iran’s supreme leader appears to mimic Trump’s tweet
The tweet appears to be mimicking President Trump, who tweeted a photo of the American flag following reports that an airstrike had killed Soleimani.
Irbil military base targeted in missile attack is major hub for U.S. and coalition military activity
Many U.S. forces pass through Irbil on their way in and out of a network of much smaller bases in Syria. During the peak of the campaign against the Islamic State in Iraq, military officials also oversaw a major battle in the nearby city of Mosul from Irbil. The city, like most of Iraqi Kurdistan, has been considered safer for U.S. personnel than other parts of Iraq.
Iran launches more than a dozen missiles against two military bases in Iraq, Pentagon says
The attack was launched about 5:30 p.m. Washington time, the Pentagon said.
“It is clear these missiles were launched from Iran and targeted at least two Iraqi military bases hosting U.S. military and coalition personnel,” the statement said. Al Asad air base in western Iraq and at least one facility in Irbil were targeted.
“As we evaluate the situation and our response, we will take all necessary measures to protect and defend U.S. personnel, partners, and allies in the region,” the statement said. “Due to the dynamic nature of the situation, we will continue to provide updates as they become available.”
One U.S. military official, reached for comment Tuesday evening, said U.S. troops were still assessing what happened.
“They’re still in bunker mode,” the official said.
The al-Asad air base in Iraq was hit by at least six missiles about midnight local time, said a U.S. defense official familiar with the situation.
The base, in Iraq’s western Anbar province, houses some American troops. Trump on Sunday called it “extraordinarily expensive,” threatening the Iraqi government with sanctions if the United States is told to withdraw all of its troops from Iraq and the government in Baghdad does not pay for it.
It was not immediately clear where on the base the missiles landed or if anyone was harmed. It would appear to mark one of the most aggressive attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq since the Iranian-backed militia Kataib Hezbollah launched 31 missiles at a base near Kirkuk on Dec. 27, killing a contractor and wounding several U.S. troops.
The U.S. military launched airstrikes on targets affiliated with Iranian-backed forces two days later.
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claims the ‘harsh revenge’ promised by Iran’s leaders has begun, report says
In a statement carried by the Tasnim news agency, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said the missiles were fired to avenge the death of Qasem Soleimani in an operation called “Operation Martyr Soleimani.”
The IRGC also released a video purporting to show the missiles being fired and streaking toward Iraq. U.S. military officials said they had been anticipating a strike of some sort at al-Asad and that personnel at the base had taken precautions. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
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