The Pentagon said Monday that Attacks against American personnel substantially increased over the past weekend as the military dispatched ships and a submarine into the area.
Pentagon spokesman Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder stated on Monday that there have been 38 attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria by rockets and drones since October 17, up from 31 attacks on Friday afternoon. He described the assaults as harassment and claimed 46 military men had suffered injuries as a result.
Ryder did not provide a source for the assaults. The Pentagon has previously placed responsibility on proxies supported by Iran.
Five one-way drones and rocket strikes in Al-Asad Airbase, Iraq, along with separate locations in Syria, occurred on Sunday, as confirmed by a Defense Department source who requested anonymity. The person claimed the U.S. military stopped most strikes, and most missiles and drones missed their objectives.
Reports show attacks increased while Secretary of State Antony Blinken reached the area. Blinken spoke with officials in Israel, Jordan, and Turkey and visited the West Bank on a quick tour to ease tensions.
The US Navy released photographs and footage of the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower carrier strike groups and the USS Gerald R. Ford training with two Italian frigates in the eastern Mediterranean Sea.
CENTCOM announced via X that an Ohio-class sub had entered its waters on Sunday, a rare maneuver. A report says the submarine’s identity was kept secret.
The US Navy has 18 Ohio-class submarines, 4 being guided-missile submarines with 157 Tomahawk missiles.
Gen. Ryder said all 46 military personnel injuries were from assaults before the US retaliatory strikes on Oct. 26. Many soldiers reported being hurt in the weeks following the first attacks. The majority of the injuries occurred in strikes on bases in Syria and Iraq on Oct. 17 and 18. One service member was injured in Erbil, Iraq, on Oct. 26.
Ryder reported 24 brain injuries among military members. Two were initially reinstated to duty but are presently in Germany for treatment out of caution. The injuries suffered were tinnitus, ruptured eardrums, headaches, turned ankles, among others.
