January 8th: Iran's Retaliation at U.S Base in Iraq

Why it matters:

The opertation marked the first direct military operation of Iran against the U.S. after the assassination of Lieutenant General Soleimani.

The big picture:

General Qassem Soleimani was assassinated at Baghdad International Airport on January 3, 2020, under the direct orders of U.S. President Donald Trump.

Lieutenant General Soleimani served as the commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps, playing a significant role in confronting ISIS (DAESH) in Iraq and Syria.

What they're saying:

Following his martyrdom, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei issued a message, saying, ‘Severe revenge awaits the criminals whose wicked hands were stained with his blood and the blood of the other martyrs of last night’s incident.

After the operation was successfully carried out, Amir Ali Hajizadeh, then-commander of the IRGC Aerospace Force, explained the details of the operation in a press conference. He announced that 13 missiles of the Qiam‑1 and Fateh‑313 types were launched toward predetermined targets at the Ain al‑Asad base.

Details:

Iran said that the IRGC could also target the barracks and the areas where U.S. forces were stationed. The objective of the operation was not to kill personnel, but rather to strike the war machine, the command and control center, the drone and helicopter units, and the flight line facilities of the U.S. at the Ain al‑Asad base.

General Hajizadeh noted that American forces were on full alert, saying: ‘Before the operation, 12 unmanned aircraft and several manned aircraft were monitoring from Ain al‑Asad base, but they showed no reaction to the strike.

Go deeper:

On January 29, Pentagon officials announced that about 200 U.S. soldiers who were in the blast area at the time of the operation had been tested and 50 of them were diagnosed with brain injuries caused by the explosion.

Satellite images provided by Planet Labs showed extensive damage to the base, with at least five structures hit in the attack, indicating that the missiles were accurate enough to strike targets.