U.S. military officials have confirmed they stopped two drone attacks in Iraq.
JUST IN: The U.S. intercepted two one-way attack drones targeting Iraq's al-Asad air base where U.S. troops are located. This happened early Wednesday morning local time. No injuries have been reported, according to U.S. defense officials.
— Liz Friden (@Liz_Friden) October 18, 2023
According to Reuters, the military “intercepted” a pair of drones that were on their way to strike Iraq’s al Asad air base where U.S. troops are stationed.
Officials did not disclose who was behind the attack or if the responsible party is currently known.
What is known is that as the Israel-Palestine war escalates, the Middle East is destabilizing. The Washington Examiner reported Iraqi citizens held multiple rallies on Tuesday to protest President Joe Biden’s visit to Israel.
The protesters burned Israeli flags as well as posters of Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Biden arrived in Israel Wednesday, per Fox News. He decried Hamas and commented on the recent blast at a Gaza hospital on Tuesday.
It was reported up to 500 people were killed in the blast, leading Palestinian Authority Civil Defense spokesman Mahmoud Basal to blame Israel for the explosion, per the IJR.
He noted, “While we’ve witnessed tragedies in past wars and days, but what took place tonight is tantamount to a genocide.”
The Israeli Defense Forces claimed no involvement in the bombing and blamed a misdirected Palestinian Islamic Jihad rocket.
This has created tensions in the surrounding areas. According to Reuters, Iraq’s top Shi’ite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali Al-Sistani condemned Israel for conducting airstrikes.
The Kataib Hezbollah terrorist group, which has close relations with Iran, warned the U.S. to leave Iraq.
The group stated, “These evil people must leave the country, otherwise they will taste the fire of hell in this world before the afterlife.”
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called Israeli’s actions a “genocide” and also noted, “If the crimes of the Zionist [Israeli] regime continue, Muslims and resistance forces will become impatient, and no one can stop them,” via Al Jazeera.
Meanwhile, the Israeli Defense Forces maintain it is only fighting in retaliation for the Oct. 7 attacks that were carried out by the Hamas Palestinian terrorist group.
The IDF continues in its efforts to keep innocent civilians out of harms way. https://t.co/xoqEyu5TNY
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) October 18, 2023
On Tuesday, the group posted to X, formerly Twitter, noting its continued evacuation warnings and stated, “The IDF continues in its efforts to keep innocent civilians out of harms way.”
