Operation Martyr Soleimani
On 8 January 2020, in a military operation code named Operation Martyr Soleimani (Persian: عملیات شهید سلیمانی), Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) launched over 12 ballistic missiles at the al-Asad Airbase in Al Anbar Governorate, western Iraq, as well as another airbase in Erbil, in response to the assassination of Major General Qasem Soleimani by a United States drone strike.
| Operation Martyr Soleimani | |
|---|---|
| Part of events that followed the assassination of Qasem Soleimani during the 2019–2021 Persian Gulf crisis | |
Damage (encircled) to at least five structures at Ayn al-Asad airbase in a series of missile attacks by Iran | |
| Operational scope | Military strike targeting multiple sites |
| Locations | 33°48′N 42°26′E 36.2375°N 43.963056°E |
| Planned by | Iran |
| Target | Al-Asad Airbase Erbil Airbase |
| Date | 8 January 2020, from about 1:30 a.m. to 4:00 a.m. (UTC+03:00) |
| Executed by | Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Aerospace Force |
| Outcome | 11 Qiam 1 missiles hit Al-Asad Airbase |
| Casualties | 110 U.S. military personnel wounded (traumatic brain injuries) |
Al-Asad Airbase Location of the targets hit | |
The strike was the largest ballistic missile attack ever against Americans. Initially, the U.S. was not willing to concede the seriousness of the attack. While it initially assessed that none of its service members were injured or killed, the U.S. Department of Defense ultimately said that 110 service members had been diagnosed and treated for traumatic brain injuries (mainly concussions) from the attack. Some of them were later awarded the Purple Heart.
Iran reportedly informed the Iraqi government of an imminent attack shortly beforehand. The United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the attack was intended to kill, however some analysts suggested the strike was deliberately designed to avoid causing any fatalities in order to dissuade an armed American response. The U.S. said it was able to avoid fatalities because the United States Space Force provided early warning.
In the months following the attack, the U.S. deployed Patriot and other missile defense systems to some of their Iraqi bases.