Iran-backed armed groups have attacked US troops in Iraq, hours after Tehran vowed revenge and blamed Israel fatal attack on a building housing its elite troops in the Syrian capital Damascus, raising fears of a wider regional conflict.

The attack claimed one Iraqi and possibly American life, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Saturday, and came hours after Tehran vowed to retaliate against Israel for its attack on the US Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in Syria.

“Several ballistic missiles and missiles were fired at al-Assad airbase by Iran-backed militants in western Iraq,” CENTCOM said on X.

Most of the projectiles were intercepted by the base’s air defense systems, but “others hit the base,” the statement said.

Iran-backed militants attack Al-Assad air base in Iraq

At around 6:30 p.m. (Baghdad time) on January 20, several ballistic missiles and missiles were fired at al-Assad airbase by Iran-backed militants in western Iraq. Most of the missiles were intercepted by… pic.twitter.com/rYaNrRdRtu

– US Central Command (@CENTCOM) January 20, 2024

Attacks on US forces in Iraq and Syria have increased since the October 7 Israeli military offensive, which received military support from Washington. Since launching its offensive in Gaza, Israel has expanded its attacks on Iran-linked armed groups in Syria and Lebanon.

Yemen’s Houthis, part of the Tehran-backed groups known as the “Axis of Resistance,” have launched attacks on Israel and Israeli-linked ships in the Red Sea in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, disrupting one of the busiest sea routes targeted. The Houthis are calling on Israel to end the war on Gaza and allow humanitarian aid into the besieged area, which urgently needs food, medicine and other essential supplies.

Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi has warned of the dangers of an escalation in Israel’s war against Gaza.

“If Israel continues to increase its attacks on other fronts and drags the West into it, we will see a very, very serious escalation of the conflict,” he told Al Jazeera.

Missiles elsewhere pose the risk of a larger war

Increased Israeli and US attacks on Iran-linked groups could trigger a regional conflict pitting Iran and its allies against Israel and the US.

An Israeli drone strike in southern Lebanon killed a Hezbollah member who was traveling in a car, according to two security sources. Another unknown person traveling in the same car was also killed.

Meanwhile, the US said it fired a missile into the Red Sea that targeted the Houthis. The US military launched one last week Number of strikes with the Houthis.

According to Hassan Ahmadian, a professor at Tehran University, Israel is expanding the conflict because it cannot achieve its military objectives in Gaza.

“The Israelis have raised the stakes of what they did before,” Ahmadian told Al Jazeera, adding that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had been vocal about calls for escalation.

Israel is also stepping up its attacks to deter attacks from Iran and its allies in the region. However, many of these groups are part of the “Axis of Resistance” and are doing so in their own national interest, he said.

Israeli attack targets Iran in Syria

On Saturday, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said his country would take retaliatory measures Attack in Damascus in which five members of the IRGC were killed. Tehran blamed Israel for the recent attack on its forces in Syria – a close ally of Iran.

“The Islamic Republic will not leave the crimes of the Zionist regime unanswered,” Raisi said, according to state broadcaster IRIB.

There was no comment from Israel, but it has killed IRGC members in several similar attacks since October 7.

According to a security source close to the Syrian government, they were attacked in a building in Damascus that was leveled by “precision-targeted Israeli missiles.”

In portraits of the IRGC members in Iranian state media, three of them were described as having an honorary title of general, suggesting they were senior commanders, while the other two were a major and someone of lower rank .

An unspecified number of Syrian troops were also killed.

Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said at the

Iran and its military allies in Syria have entrenched themselves in several parts of the country.

In December, an Israeli airstrike killed two IRGC members, and another on December 25 killed a senior IRGC adviser.