Alwiyat al-Waad al-Haq, an Iran-backed militia believed to be linked to the Iraqi Kataib Hezbollah militia, threatened to target bases where American forces are housed in Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates in response to the Israel-Hamas war on Tuesday evening.
“After the persistence of the Zionist entity and its supporters in exterminating our people in steadfast Palestine, and the killing, displacement, and destruction we are witnessing today against the patient, struggling Palestinian people, we affirm that our patience has limits, and we give good news to the honorable and zealous members of our nation, that we consider the American bases in Kuwait and the Emirates as legitimate targets for us, in response to the crimes of the Zionist entity and America, and in revenge for the martyrs of beloved Palestine,” the extremist Iraqi Shi'ite political party and paramilitary group said in a statement published on its social media channels.
The militia has claimed attacks against Gulf states in the past, including a drone attack in which three drones were intercepted by the UAE in February 2022, although most drone and missile attacks toward Saudi Arabia and the UAE in recent years have been claimed by the Iran-backed Houthi militia in Yemen, which has also threatened to intervene in the war between Israel and Hamas.
Iran-backed militias across the region have upped their threats against Israel and the US, with several rocket and drone attacks targeting US forces in Syria and Iraq in recent weeks.
24 US military personnel wounded in attacks by Iran-backed militias
Two dozen American military personnel were wounded last week in a series of drone attacks at American bases in Iraq and Syria, US Central Command (CENTCOM) told NBC News on Tuesday.
The injuries were minor, according to NBC News. Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Brig.-Gen. Pat Ryder stated on Tuesday that between October 17 and 24, US and coalition forces were attacked at least 10 times in Iraq and three times in Syria by suicide drones and rockets.
On Tuesday night, Iran-backed militias in Iraq said they conducted a rocket attack against the Kharab al-Jir base used by American forces in northeastern Iraq.
Saudi Arabia helped thwart Houthi attack on Israel
Last week, five Iranian-produced cruise missiles and about 30 drones were fired by the Houthis in Yemen toward Israel, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The USS Carney shot down four of the missiles over the Red Sea, while the fifth missile was shot down by Saudi Arabia to protect its airspace, people familiar with the incident told the Journal. While the US has confirmed that it shot down Houthi missiles over the Red Sea, Saudi officials have not confirmed the involvement of Saudi air defenses in the incident.
The Pentagon said on Tuesday that the missiles launched by the Houthis were estimated to have a range of about 2,000 km. The distance from northwest Yemen to Eilat is about 1,700 km.
Ryder stressed that the US “still cannot say for certain what those missiles and drones were targeting.”
The Pentagon also announced on Tuesday that a squadron of F-16 fighter jets had arrived in the US CENTCOM area of responsibility in light of the increased tensions in the Middle East. The US has also sent a THAAD anti-ballistic missile defense battery and Patriot missile battalions to the region as well.
Reuters contributed to this report.