A drone attack targeted the U.S. embassy in Baghdad and an explosion was heard in the area, security sources said early on Wednesday, a day after a series of strikes.
On Tuesday, Rockets and at least five drones were launched at the U.S. embassy in Baghdad from areas around the city, according to Iraqi security sources, describing the attack as the most intense since the start of the U.S.-Israel war with Iran.
Four people have been reported killed in an air raid on a building used by an Iran-backed group.
The attack in Baghdad’s Jadriyah district was followed quickly by the sound of an explosion near the U.S. Embassy compound.
Iran-Backed Militias Retaliate Against U.S. Interests
A witness saw at least three drones heading in the direction of the embassy. The C-RAM air defence system shot down two of them while a third struck inside the embassy compound, from which fire and smoke could be seen rising, the witness said.
Al Jazeera reported that the strikes came only hours after a drone struck a hotel near the embassy in the Green Zone, causing a minor fire. In a statement made on Facebook. Iraq’s Ministry of Interior said there were no casualties in the strike on the Al Rasheed Hotel.
Iranian-backed militias have been attacking U.S. interests in Iraq in retaliation for the war.
PMF Attacked By U.S.
On Monday, Iran-aligned group Kataib Hezbollah announced the death of its senior commander and spokesperson, and Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) said U.S. air strikes killed at least eight of its fighters at a PMF manned checkpoint in the Iraqi town of al-Qaim near Syria.
According to Al Jazeera, the PMF or Hashd Al-Shaabi is an umbrella group of Shia paramilitary factions, originally founded in 2014 to deter lightning advances by the ISIL group. The PMF was later formally integrated into Iraq’s state security forces.
Speaking to Associated Press news agency, the Minjoon oilfield in Iraq’s southern Basra province was also struck by two drones. However, no casualties have been reported, and it remains unclear if the strike caused any damage to the facilities.
Iraqi security forces have been deployed across the capital and closed Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone, which houses government buildings and diplomatic missions, including the U.S. embassy.
(With inputs from Reuters)
