On Sunday, several rockets were launched from the Iraqi town of Zummar targeting a U.S. military base in northeastern Syria.
This incident marks the first attack on U.S. forces since early February, following a period of cessation of hostilities by Iranian-backed groups in Iraq.
The attack coincided with the return of Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani from his recent trip to the United States, where he met President Joe Biden.
According to a statement on a Telegram channel linked to Kataib Hezbollah, Iraqi armed factions decided to resume hostilities after observing negligible progress in negotiations aimed at disbanding the U.S.-led military coalition in Iraq.
Meanwhile, Sabreen News, another Telegram channel associated with the group, noted that there had been no formal declaration from Kataib Hezbollah regarding the resumption of attacks.
A U.S. official, who spoke anonymously, indicated that the attack involved more than five rockets fired from Iraq towards the Rumalyn base in Syria.
Fortunately, no U.S. personnel were harmed in the assault, which the official characterized as a “failed rocket attack.”
The specifics of whether the rockets missed their target or were intercepted were not immediately clear.
In response to the rocket fire, a coalition aircraft reportedly struck the launcher. On the ground in Iraq, security sources and a senior army officer mentioned that a small truck equipped with a rocket launcher was stationed in Zummar.
The vehicle was subsequently destroyed in an airstrike, and an army officer confirmed that the wreckage was being examined as part of their ongoing investigation.
In the aftermath of the rocket attack, the Iraqi Security Media Cell, which is responsible for broadcasting security-related news, announced that Iraqi forces were conducting a thorough search near the Syrian border to apprehend those responsible for the incident.
They expressed a commitment to bring the perpetrators to justice.
This escalation follows a significant explosion at an Iraqi military base early Saturday, which resulted in the death of a member of an Iraqi security force that includes Iran-backed factions.
The force commander described the incident as an attack, although the army is still investigating and confirmed that there were no aircraft observed in the sky at that time.