One Dead in Rocket Attack on Iraq Base Hosting US Troops

US military vehicles at the Ain Al-Assad air base in the Anbar province, Iraq. (Reuters file photo)
US military vehicles at the Ain Al-Assad air base in the Anbar province, Iraq. (Reuters file photo)
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One Dead in Rocket Attack on Iraq Base Hosting US Troops

US military vehicles at the Ain Al-Assad air base in the Anbar province, Iraq. (Reuters file photo)
US military vehicles at the Ain Al-Assad air base in the Anbar province, Iraq. (Reuters file photo)

Ten rockets landed on Wednesday at Iraq’s Ain al-Assad air base, which hosts US, coalition and Iraqi forces, the Iraqi military said.

There were no reports of injuries among US service personnel but an American civilian contractor died after suffering a “cardiac episode” while sheltering from the rockets, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said in a statement.

“We cannot attribute responsibility at this time, and we do not have a complete picture of the extent of the damage,” Kirby added. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.

The United States is assessing the impact of the attack and whoever was responsible, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said.

“If we assess that further response is warranted, we will take action again in a manner and time of our choosing,” she told a news briefing. “What we won’t do is make a hasty or ill-informed decision that further escalates the decision or plays into the hands of our adversaries.”

Last Thursday, US forces carried out air strikes against facilities at a border control point in Syria used by Iranian-backed militias including Kataib Hezbollah and Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada.

A Baghdad Operations Command official said Wednesday’s attack was launched from a location about eight km (five miles) from the base, which is in the westerly Anbar province.

Another Iraqi security source and a government official who spoke on condition of anonymity said the rockets had been launched from a point west of the nearby town of Baghdadi.

Despite a deterioration in security in some parts of the country, Pope Francis is due to begin a four-day visit to Iraq on Friday.

On Feb. 16, a rocket attack on US-led forces in northern Iraq killed a civilian contractor and injured a US service member.



Jordan King Insists Palestinians Must Remain on Their Land

 King Abdullah II of Jordan arrives at the European Parliament in Brussels, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025. (AP)
King Abdullah II of Jordan arrives at the European Parliament in Brussels, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025. (AP)
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Jordan King Insists Palestinians Must Remain on Their Land

 King Abdullah II of Jordan arrives at the European Parliament in Brussels, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025. (AP)
King Abdullah II of Jordan arrives at the European Parliament in Brussels, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025. (AP)

Jordan's King Abdullah II said Wednesday that Palestinians must remain on their land, after US President Donald Trump floated an idea for Gazans to move to Jordan and Egypt.

He stressed during meetings in Brussels "Jordan's firm position on the need to keep the Palestinians on their land and to guarantee their legitimate rights, in accordance with the Israeli and Palestinian two-state solution", the royal palace said in a statement.

US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that Egypt and Jordan should take in Palestinians from Gaza, which he called a "demolition site" following 15 months of Israeli bombardment that made most of its people homeless.

The war, set off by Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 attacks on Israel, has killed more than 47,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children according to local health authorities, who do not distinguish between civilians and combatants in their count.  

The fighting has obliterated vast areas of Gaza, displacing some 90% of its 2.3 million population, often multiple times. During its attack, Hamas took 250 people hostage and killed roughly 1,200.  

The theme of displacement has been recurrent in Palestinian history and the idea of staying steadfast on one's land is an integral element of the Palestinian identity. Palestinians fear that if they leave their land, they may never be allowed to return.  

Those fears have been compounded by far-right members of Israel's government who support rebuilding Jewish settlements in Gaza, from which Israel withdrew troops and settlers from in 2005. Netanyahu says that idea is unrealistic.  

Egypt and Jordan have each made peace with Israel but support the creation of a Palestinian state in the occupied West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem. They fear that the permanent displacement of Gaza’s population could make that impossible.