Iranian Missiles Hit Iraqi Bases Hosting US-led Troops

Iranian state television said the country launched 15 missiles at US targets in Iraq early Wednesday, with claims of some 80 “American terrorists” being killed. The report said the attack was a response to the death of Qasem Soleimani, a top Iranian general who was killed in a US drone strike early Friday at Baghdad’s international airport. US and Iraqi sources said their troops suffered no casualties. A Pentagon spokesman said that two facilities had been targeted, one being the Al-Asad air base in central Iraq, and a military base in Erbil, in the North. “As we evaluate the situation and our response, we will take all necessary measures to protect and defend US personnel, partners and allies in the region,” the spokesman, Jonathan Hoffman, told reporters. During a speech in Tehran on Wednesday, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei called the missile attack a “slap on the face” of the US. The Iranian television report said Tehran had no desire for war and that the missile strikes “ended” the country’s response to Soleimani’s killing.