Iran Launches Retaliatory Attack on US... Operation Name 'Shahid Soleimani'

Attack Launched Around 1:30 AM, the Time of Soleimani's Death

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] On the 8th (local time), the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced that it fired dozens of surface-to-surface ballistic missiles at U.S. military bases stationed in Iraq in the early morning hours.

The IRGC stated that the attack, carried out around 1:30 AM, was a retaliatory operation against the United States, which killed Qasem Soleimani, commander of Iran's Quds Force (an elite unit of the IRGC).

They warned, "Our strong retaliation will not be a one-time event but will continue."

The timing of the attack coincides with the time when the U.S. military bombed Commander Soleimani on the 3rd.

Iraqi security authorities also confirmed that several rockets fell on Al Asad Airbase, and dpa news agency reported that explosions were heard inside the base.

According to the AP news agency, the attack was initiated by the missile unit under the IRGC, and the operation was named "Martyr Soleimani" after Commander Soleimani.

The IRGC referred to the United States as the "worst Satan" and said, "If the U.S. takes any response, it will face greater pain and destruction."

Al Asad Airbase is located in Anbar Province in western Iraq. The U.S. military has been stationed there since the 2003 invasion of Iraq, which ousted Saddam Hussein's regime, and recently has used it as a base to fight against the Islamic State (IS).

U.S. President Donald Trump visited Al Asad Airbase in December 2018 during Christmas to encourage the troops, and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also visited the base last year.

Major foreign media, citing anonymous U.S. officials, reported that there was a rocket attack on the U.S. military base in Iraq that morning, but no immediate damage or casualties have been confirmed.

White House spokesperson Stephanie Grisham said, "We are aware of reports of attacks on U.S. facilities in Iraq," adding that President Trump has also been briefed on the matter and is closely monitoring the situation.

Earlier, Iran had warned of retaliation against the United States after Soleimani, a key figure in the Iranian military, was killed in a U.S. drone strike at Baghdad Airport in Iraq on the 3rd.

Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, ordered "harsh retaliation," and Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), warned that 13 U.S. retaliation scenarios were being considered.

Hossein Salami, commander-in-chief of the IRGC, said at Soleimani's funeral held the previous day, "We will retaliate against the enemy (the U.S.)," and "We will turn the places they cherish into a sea of fire."