US army soldiers stand next to military vehicles in the town of Bartella, east of Mosul, Iraq.<\/p>\n
At least two-dozen American military personnel based in Iraq and Syria were injured in drone attacks last week that officials said were launched by Iran-backed proxy groups.<\/p>\n
The largest attack carried out against a US base was on Oct. 18 when 20 troops suffered \u201cminor injuries,\u201d after numerous one-way drones targeted\u00a0al-Tanf Garrison\u00a0in southeastern Syria, US military officials said, according to the Washington Post<\/a>.<\/p>\n All injured personnel have since returned to duty, the officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told the newspaper.<\/p>\n On the same day, multiple drones also targeted the US and its allies in two different attacks on\u00a0Ain al-Asad Air Base in western Iraq\u00a0that left four people with minor injuries, the Washington Post reported. Those injured also returned to duty.<\/p>\n A US citizen working as a contractor died the same day after he went into cardiac arrest during a shelter-in-place order at the base.<\/p>\n The Pentagon has said the groups behind the attacks are supported by Iran and its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.<\/p>\n The largest attack carried out against a US base was on Oct. 18 when 20 troops suffered \u201cminor injuries,\u201d after numerous one-way drones targeted\u00a0al-Tanf Garrison\u00a0in southeastern Syria, seen on Oct. 22, 2018.AP<\/p>\n \u201cWhat we are seeing is the prospect for more significant escalation against U.S. forces and personnel across the region in the very near term coming from Iranian proxy forces, and ultimately from Iran,\u201d Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, told NBC News<\/a>.<\/p>\n On Oct. 19, US and coalition forces faced rocket attacks in three different locations, though the assaults didn\u2019t lead to injuries or infrastructure damage, according to officials.<\/p>\n The three targeted sites that day were\u00a0Mission Support Site Euphrates in Syria, Ain al-Asad Air Base and the Baghdad Diplomatic Support Center in Iraq, the Washington Post reported.<\/p>\n Other attacks were launched the ensuing three days with one-way drones striking empty areas in Bashur, Iraq and once again hitting Ain al-Asad and al-Tanf.<\/p>\n Iran\u2019s proxy terrorists have increasingly zeroed in on US military bases as tensions in the region have spiked since the Israel-Hamas broke out following the terrorist group\u2019s bloody Oct. 7 invasion of the Jewish nation.<\/p>\n Ryder told reporters Monday the US has not seen Iran \u201cexplicitly\u201d<\/a> order the attacks, though he warned\u00a0\u201cNo one wants to see a wider regional conflict, but we will not hesitate to protect our forces.\u201d<\/p>\n