News Information and Media Site: Iran retaliates with missile attacks on U.S. bases in Iraq

Wednesday, January 8, 2020

Good morning, NBC News readers.

Iran retaliated with missile attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq and a Boeing passenger jet crashed in Tehran just after takeoff, killing all on board.

Here's what we're watching this Wednesday morning.

Iran fires more than a dozen missiles at U.S. forces in Iraq

Iran retaliated for the killing of a top general by firing more than a dozen ballistic missiles at two Iraqi air bases housing U.S. forces on Wednesday.

There were no reports of U.S. or Iraqi casualties, according to American officials.

Iran said it did not "seek escalation or war" after the barrage. But Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called the strikes "a slap in the face" to the U.S. and not sufficient retaliation for the killing of Gen. Qassem Soleimani last week.
President Donald Trump declared "All is well!" in a tweet after the attacks and said he would address the nation on Wednesday morning.
Lawmakers of all stripes said they were praying for U.S. military forces overseas and monitoring developments, with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tweeting the "world cannot afford war."
Ain al-Asad, one of the airbases targeted by Iran, is a hub for U.S. forces in Iraq that has been visited by Trump and Vice President Mike Pence.
U.S. forces at Iraqi bases most likely had some warning before the strikes, thanks to a little-discussed Maryland facility devoted to detecting missile launches.
Analysis: Mike Pompeo's fiery defense of Trump's order to kill Soleimani last week has made him the most powerful secretary of state in decades, NBC News' chief foreign affairs correspondent Andrea Mitchell writes in a news analysis.

Ain al-Asad air base in Iraq's western Anbar desert, seen above, is one of the two military bases struck by Iran. (Photo: Nasser Nasser/AP file)

No survivors after Ukraine-bound Boeing 737 crashes in Iran after takeoff

A Ukraine International Airlines plane crashed shortly after takeoff from Tehran Wednesday, killing all 176 passengers and crew members on board, according to Iranian state TV and Ukrainian officials.

The Boeing 737 crashed minutes after departing the Iranian capital's international airport en route to Kyiv.

Iranian State TV said the crash was suspected to have been caused by mechanical issues without explaining how it reached that conclusion.

The crash comes not only as Iran launched attacks against the U.S., but on the heels of increased scrutiny of Boeing following the crashes of two 737 Max jets that combined killed 346 people. The plane that crashed Wednesday is a different model of the 737.

Boeing said it is aware of the crash and is "gathering more information."

Video: Ukrainian airplane crashes after takeoff in Iran

Pelosi says impeachment articles could be sent to Senate "soon"

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told her fellow Democrats on Tuesday that she's not yet ready to send the articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump to the Senate — but she suggested that she could be soon in a letter to colleagues.

Meantime, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday he has enough Republican votes to start Trump's impeachment trial without the support of Democrats, who have been demanding witness testimony.

But, he may not have those votes later. A handful of Senate Republicans are being watched to see if they break with the party and back Democratic efforts to call witnesses against the president.

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