`Iran last night launched 15 missiles. 10 hit the Ain al-Asad air base near the capital Baghdad, one hit Irbil airport in the north and 4 had problems during flight,` an official said.
US defense forces at these two bases seemed to have detected the attack, but did not have time to launch interception bullets.
However, a source familiar with the matter revealed that the Patriot air defense battery in Irbil shot down at least one Iranian ballistic missile.
Missile debris fell near Irbil airport this morning.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) early this morning conducted two heavy missile attacks on Iraq’s Ain al-Asad and Irbil bases, where US forces are stationed.
Iranian media said the IRGC used Fateh-110 short-range ballistic missiles for the raid on the Ain al-Asad base, while images of the scene in Irbil showed fragments of what appeared to be Qiam-1 missiles.
The US military does not disclose the anti-aircraft weapons at the Ain al-Asad base, but this used to be Washington’s second largest base on Iraqi territory.
Irbil Airport is located in the capital of the Kurdish autonomous region in northern Iraq, and is an important facility for the activities of the US Department of Defense and State Department.
Iran launched missiles at US bases
Iranian missiles left the launch pad during the attack on the morning of January 8.
The fact that more than 10 Iranian ballistic missiles hit their targets without being intercepted raises big questions about the defense capabilities of US air defense systems, especially the Patriot complex, which is specifically designed to protect the United States.
In the case of two Saudi oil plants being attacked by cruise missiles and drones last year, Patriot complexes of Saudi Arabia and the US in the region also received a lot of criticism for not detecting them promptly.
The Pentagon early last year planned to buy two Iron Dome missile shield complexes from Israel to enhance the ability to protect ground forces.
Location of al-Asad and Erbil air bases in Iraq.