The attack was the first attack by an Iranian-backed group on U.S. troops in Iraq since the U.S. military suspended operations in early February.
Several rockets were fired from Iraq towards a US military base in northeastern Syria.
The attack, carried out from the town of Zumar late Sunday, was the first to target U.S. forces since early February, when Iran-backed groups in Iraq ended an operation in which they had carried out regular attacks against the U.S.-led international coalition. This was the first attack.
The resumption of hostilities came a day after Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al-Sudani returned from a visit to the United States and met with President Joe Biden.
The post on a Telegram group affiliated with Kataib Hezbollah comes as Iraqi insurgents launch attacks after a nearly three-month hiatus as talks to end the U.S.-led military coalition in the country have made little progress. We announced that we have decided to reopen.
But on Monday, Kataib Hezbollah said it had not issued a statement advocating renewed attacks on U.S. forces. The company called the previous announcement “fabricated news.”
Iraqi security forces said in a statement that at around 9:50 p.m. (18:50 Japan time), “illegal elements targeted a United Nations base in the heart of Syrian territory with rockets.”
Iraqi forces launched a large-scale search operation in northern Nineveh province and discovered the vehicle used in the attack, the statement added.
“Attack failure”
A U.S. official told Reuters on condition of anonymity that at least five rockets were fired from Iraq toward troops at the coalition base in Rumeiran, Syria, but no U.S. personnel were injured. said.
The official called it a “failed rocket attack,” but it was not immediately clear whether the rockets missed the base or were destroyed before they hit the base. It was also unclear whether the base itself was a target.
Aircraft from the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq and Syria then attacked the launch site, officials said.
Two Iraqi security officials and a senior military official said the small truck with a rocket launcher strapped to the back was parked in the Syrian border town of Zumar.
Army officers said the truck was destroyed and seized for further investigation.
“We are in contact with coalition forces in Iraq to share information regarding this attack,” the officer added.
Since the start of the Gaza war on October 7, targeting of US forces in the region has intensified.
In January, a drone attack in northeastern Jordan near the Syrian border killed three U.S. service members and injured at least 34 others.