In a daring attack, Iran has fired several missiles at American military facilities in Iraq, days after the killing of a top Iranian commander in a U.S. air strike.
U.S. officials have confirmed the launch of attacks into Iraq from Iranian territory, according to ABC News and CNN channels.
The White House has also confirmed reports of attack and said President Trump is being updated.
“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,” White House spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham said in a statement.
Earlier, Tehran had announced that it had unleashed tens of ground-to-ground missiles at a base of American forces.
The Pentagon says Iran launched more than a dozen ballistic missiles at two Iraqi military bases where US troops are stationed. Follow live updates. https://t.co/uD7yRleMYW pic.twitter.com/AnGIqPSeT8
— CNN Breaking News (@cnnbrk) January 8, 2020
“This morning, courageous fighters of the IRGC’s Air Force launched a successful operation called Operation Martyr Soleimani, with the code ‘Oh Zahra’ by firing tens of ground-to-ground missiles at the base of the terrorist and invasive U.S. forces named Ain Al Asad,” the country’s state-run news outlet IRNA reported.
ABC News cited a U.S. official as confirming that ballistic missiles were fired from inside Iran at multiple U.S. military facilities inside Iraq on Wednesday morning, local time.
According to the official quoted by the channel, the facilities include Erbil in northern Iraq and Al Asad Air Base in western Iraq.
Meanwhile, CNN says Tehran is processing declaration of war against the United States.
U.S.-Iran tensions have been simmering since an American air strike killed Iranian commander general Qassem Soleimani at the Baghdad airport.
President Trump authorize the strike in reaction to an Iranian-backed mob attack on the U.S. embassy in the Iraqi capital. Trump has vowed a strong reaction to any retaliatory move that Tehran may makes to avenge the killing of its commander.
A CNN report, citing U.S. officials, said earlier that the US forces and air-defense missile batteries across the Middle East were placed on high alert overnight Monday following threat of an imminent Iranian attack against US targets.
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