US troops targeted in rocket attacks in Iraq; escape unharmed

US troops stationed at two bases in Iraq have been targeted with rockets in attacks that caused no injuries, security sources said Friday, against the backdrop of the Israel-Hamas war.

Armed factions close to Iran have threatened to attack American interests in Iraq over US support for Israel since militants from the Iran-backed Hamas Islamist group killed more than 1,400, according to Israeli officials, in an attack launched from the Gaza Strip on October 7.

Israeli reprisal strikes on Gaza have since killed more than 3,700 people, according to the Palestinian enclave's Hamas-controlled health ministry.

On Thursday night, three Katyusha rockets struck near a base of the international coalition close to Baghdad international airport that includes US troops, a security official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

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An Iraqi military source said that no one was injured in the attack and that material damage was "being assessed".

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.

On Thursday evening, another rocket attack targeted the Ain al-Assad base in western Iraq, where US forces are also stationed, according to an Iraqi military source.

"No damage" was reported, he said of the second attack that was claimed by a group called "Islamic Resistance in Iraq" on Telegram channels affiliated with Shiite factions loyal to Iran.

On Wednesday, the US military said it shot down two drones fired at American forces and the international coalition in western Iraq.

The United States currently has about 2,500 troops stationed at three bases in Iraq alongside around 1,000 soldiers from other countries in the international coalition set up to fight the Islamic State jihadist group.

The attacks come after factions loyal to Iran have stepped up threats against the United States.

One of them, the Hezbollah Brigades, demanded that the Americans "leave" Iraq, "otherwise they will taste the fires of hell".

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