US bases fall under rocket, drone attack in northern Syria

Two US military bases in northern Syria were targeted with rockets and a drone late on 21 April.

Four rockets hit the base in the US-occupied Al-Omar oilfield, and another three rockets and a drone struck the Kharab al-Jir military airport, Al-Mayadeen’s correspondent said, adding that the two attacks took place within hours of one another. 

In late January, following an attack that killed three US soldiers on the Jordanian–Syrian border, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq (IRI) coalition announced that it would be halting operations against US military bases in Iraq and Syria – which had been ongoing since the start of the Israeli war on Gaza. 

Reuters had reported that the IRI announced resuming operations against US bases in Iraq and Syria. 

In a statement, the Kataib Hezbollah resistance faction said: “No statement has been issued by the Islamic Resistance, Kataib Hezbollah, during the past 48 hours, and what is being reported by the media is fabricated news broadcast by Reuters, which will bear the consequences of it later.” 

Earlier, Kataib Hezbollah said a decision had been taken “to resume military action,” and that “what happened a little while ago is the beginning” in reference to the attack on the two US bases. The statement did not directly claim responsibility for the attack nor explicitly announce any resumption of attacks on US bases. 

The statement also condemned Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani’s recent trip to Washington and his meetings with US President Joe Biden, part of which revolved around discussions on an eventual end to the US military’s combat mission in Iraq. 

“After the end of the visit, it became clear that some political parties were lying. There is no foreign intention to leave Iraq,” Kataib Hezbollah said. 

The attacks on the US bases came a day after a huge explosion hit Kalsu base in the city of Babel just after midnight on Saturday. Security officials announced that at least one Popular Mobilization Unit (PMU) member was killed, and eight others were injured.

Saturday’s attack on Iraq came about 24 hours after Israel launched a “limited response” to Iran’s retaliatory drone and missile strikes against Israel. However, an Israeli official told CNN that Tel Aviv was “not involved” in the attack on the PMU base. Washington also denied involvement.