The number of attacks on American troops in the Middle East increases the risk of deaths, a red line that could lead to a wider war. The latest attack on American troops in the region over the weekend resulted in no deaths, but President Biden and his advisers worry that it is only a matter of time. The assault on American troops based at Al Asad Air Base in western Iraq on Saturday night was the most successful to be carried out by a militia sponsored by Iran since the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel on Oct. 7. Two out of an estimated 17 rockets and short-range ballistic missiles fired at the base made it through air defense systems. An unspecified number of American military personnel were reported injured. But this attack has just been the latest in a regular string of low-level assaults for U.S. forces since the Hama attack. American forces have at times mounted retaliations, but in limited fashion to avoid instigating a full-fledged conflict.
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