NATO chief warns of escalation risk amid ongoing attacks

The NATO Secretary General has expressed concern about ongoing drone and missile attacks on American positions. He urged Iran to restrain its allies, while also noting attacks on commercial ships. "This underlines the risk of escalation," he emphasized.

"I welcome that the agreement between Hamas and Israel has led to the release of hostages and the delivery of more humanitarian aid. I call for an extension of the pause," declared NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg during a press conference in Brussels. This statement was made ahead of a meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the Alliance countries scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday.

Stoltenberg also voiced apprehension over attacks on US bases in Syria and Iraq. "We have seen drone and rocket strikes on US positions in Syria and Iraq, as well as attacks on commercial shipping. This underlines the risk of escalation," stated the Head of NATO.

In November, a drone attack was launched on the Ain al-Asad air force base in western Iraq, where international forces, including American troops, are based. This assault caused damage to the base's infrastructure.

It should be noted that Ain al-Asad has previously been targeted. In late October, the base suffered an attack from multiple missiles and drones. In total, American and other foreign forces in Iraq and Syria were attacked 23 times by missiles and drones during October. The majority of these attacks were successfully repelled.

The Shiite militia Kataib Hezbollah has claimed responsibility for many of these attacks. Following a Palestinian Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, Ahmad "Abu Hussein" al-Hamidawi, the leader of Kataib Hezbollah - a Shiite militia in Iraq backed by Iran - threatened retaliation against American bases if the United States intervened in the conflict between Hamas and Israel. He also threatened to launch missiles at Israeli targets.