US base attacked in Iraq hours after Iran vows revenge for Damascus attack

Iran-backed armed groups have targeted US troops in Iraq hours after Tehran vowed revenge and blamed Israel for a deadly attack on a building housing its elite forces in the Syrian capital Damascus, driving fears of wide regional conflict.

The attack caused one Iraqi and possible American casualties, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Saturday, and came hours after Tehran vowed to take revenge against Israel for its strike targeting the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) in Syria.

Attacks on US forces in Iraq and Syria have increased since the October 7 Israeli military offensive, which has been militarily backed by Washington. Since launching its offensive on the Gaza Strip, Israel has expanded its attacks targeting Iran-linked armed groups in Syria and Lebanon.

Yemen’s Houthis, who form part of Tehran-backed groups known as the “axis of resistance”, have launched attacks towards Israel and targeted Israel-linked ships in the Red Sea in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza disrupting one of the busiest maritime routes. Houthis demand Israel end its war on Gaza and allow humanitarian aid into the besieged territory in desperate need of food, medicines and other essential items.Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi has warned of the dangers of escalation in Israel’s war on Gaza.

Missiles elsewhere risk wider war

The stepped-up Israeli and US attacks targeting Iran-linked groups have the potential to trigger a regional conflict, pitting Iran and its allies against Israel and the US.

An Israeli drone strike in south Lebanon reportedly killed a member of Hezbollah, who was travelling in a car, according to two security sources. Another unidentified person travelling in the same car was also killed.

Meanwhile, the US said it had targeted a missile that the Houthis were aiming into the Red Sea. The US military has in the last week launched a number of strikes at the Houthis.

According to Hassan Ahmadian, a professor at the University of Tehran, Israel is widening the conflict due to its inability to achieve its military goals in Gaza.

“Israelis have upped the ante of what they were doing beforehand,” Ahmadian told Al Jazeera, adding that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been vocal about calls for an escalation.

Israel is also ramping up its attacks to stave off attacks by Iran and allies in the region, however many of these groups are part of the “axis of resistance” and are doing so in their own national interests, he said.

Israeli strike targets Iran in Syria

On Saturday, Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi said his country would retaliate against the attack in Damascus which killed five members of the IRGC. Tehran blamed Israel for the latest attack targeting its forces in Syria – a close ally of Iran.

“The Islamic Republic will not leave the Zionist regime’s crimes unanswered,” Raisi said, according to state broadcaster IRIB.

There was no comment from Israel, but it has killed IRGC members in several similar strikes since October 7.

They were targeted in a building in Damascus which was flattened by “precision-targeted Israeli missiles”, according to a security source close to Syria’s government.

Portraits of the IRGC members on Iranian state media referred to three of them with an honorific used for generals, suggesting they were senior commanders, while the two others were a major and someone holding a lower rank.