US-Israel war against Iran: the US base in Djibouti, a potential target?

With the US-Israel war against Iran about to enter its third week, United States military bases around the Middle East have become likely targets for the Islamic Republic.

On 28 February, Iran launched a series of missile and drone attacks against countries hosting US troops, including Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Syria and the United Arab Emirates. The attacks came as retaliation for the US-Israeli airstrikes that killed supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khameneiand started the current war.

But another US base could become a target for Iran and its allies, this time in Africa. Based in Djibouti, Camp Lemonnier is the only permanent US military base on the continent.

It houses about 4,000 US military personnel and serves as a key location for US operations in the Horn of Africa.

But Djibouti is located just across Yemen, where Houthis rebels maintain close ties with Iran. The Houthis have not stepped up to the current between Iran, and Israel and the US.

On Tuesday, the US embassy in Djibouti issued a security alert “due to ongoing regional tensions and public threats against U.S. interests in the region.”

The embassy cancelled routine consular activity and advised American citizens in Djibouti “to exercise increased caution.”