Iran’s ballistic missile attacks on January 8, 2020 against U.S. troops in Iraq was an unprecedented moment in U.S.-Iranian relations. Derived from government statements, media reports, and first-hand accounts, this video depicts how the attack unfolded.
On January 8, 2020, Iran used ballistic missiles to attack U.S. air bases in Iraq, in response to the U.S.-targeted killing of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force (IRGC-QF) commander Qasem Soleimani. The attack against U.S. bases in Iraq demonstrates that Tehran continues to rely on its missile forces as a tool for signaling, diplomacy,...
On January 7, Iran fired at least 16 ballistic missiles at two Iraqi military bases housing U.S. military and coalition personnel. The salvo launch — which reportedly involved the Qiam and Fateh-313 missiles — targeted Iraq’s Ain al-Assad airbase and a Special Operations facility in Erbil. According to a U.S. officials, 11 missiles struck Ain...
On December 29, the United States launched airstrikes on five sites in Iraq and Syria controlled by Kata’ib Hezbollah, an Iran-backed paramilitary group. According to Pentagon Spokesperson Jonathan Hoffman, the targets “included weapon storage facilities and command and control locations that KH uses to plan and execute attacks on OIR coalition forces.” The U.S. strikes...
In discussions of Iran’s regional missile proliferation, Lebanese Hezbollah and Yemen’s Houthi rebels tend to dominate the conversation. This focus is for good reason: Hezbollah today possesses an estimated 130,000 rockets and short-range missiles, and the Houthis have fired over 250 projectiles into Saudi Arabia since 2015. Yet Iran’s strategy of arming proxies with rockets...
On November 25, a U.S. Navy destroyer seized missile parts of likely Iranian origin from a boat in the Arabian Sea. In a December statement, the Pentagon said that U.S. forces seized a significant cache of “advanced missile components” bound for Yemen. According to officials familiar with the matter, the parts were intended for shipment...
On November 22, Iran’s military completed an air and missile defense exercise in the country’s central region, designated “Guardians of Velayat Sky-98.” According to Iranian state media, the drills tested Iran’s Khordad 15, Talash, and Mersad air and missile defense systems. Further imagery suggests that the drills also included Iran’s Russian-made S-300 air defense system....
On November 19, the Israeli Defense Forces stated its Iron Dome missile defense system had intercepted four rockets fired over the Golan Heights. Speaking later to media, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz blamed Iranian-backed militias in Syria for the attack. Syrian sources later reported that Israel launched five missiles at targets in Damascus, causing explosions...
On September 18, the Saudi Ministry of Defense presented wreckage of cruise missiles and delta-winged drones involved in attacks on its oil infrastructure. While Saudi officials claimed the weapons were Iranian-produced, they refrained from explicitly accusing Iran as responsible for the strikes. After meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, U.S. Secretary of State...
On September 14, the military spokesperson for Yemen’s Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for a drone attack on the Khurais oil field and the Abqaiq refinery in eastern Saudi Arabia. While Houthi media stated that ten “normal and jet engine”-powered drones were used in the operation, others suggest that cruise missiles may have been involved. Following...
