A US military official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told AFP news agency that sirens were heard near the US embassy and the Union III base, where troops from the international anti-jihadist coalition are stationed, and “suspicious sounds of strikes were heard”.
No one has yet claimed responsibility.
The US Embassy in Baghdad called on the Iraqi government to protect American personnel.
“We once again call on the Iraqi government (…) to protect diplomatic and coalition partner personnel and facilities,” the embassy said in a statement.
The attack on the US embassy in the Iraqi capital was the first to be reported since the war between Israel and the Islamist group Hamas began in early October, raising tensions in the region and fears of a wider conflict.
Since mid-October, pro-Iranian groups have carried out dozens of missile or drone strikes against American or coalition forces elsewhere in Iraq and Syria.
In order to prevent the revival of the “Islamic State” group, about 2.5 thousand are serving in Iraq. US troops, and about 900 troops in Syria.
About 4 o’clock 20 minutes local (3:20 a.m. Lithuanian) time, “three Katyusha rockets, aimed at the American embassy, fell near the Green Zone, near [Tigro] river, an Iraqi security official told AFP news agency. He spoke on condition of anonymity.
A US official said: “We are still awaiting official reports on casualties and damage to infrastructure, if any. We are also awaiting official reports on the nature of the attack.”
After a seven-day ceasefire in the Israeli-Iranian-backed Hamas war ended last week, pro-Iranian groups renewed attacks on American and coalition forces, citing Washington’s support for Israel.
Almost 80 attacks
In Iraq, most of them have been claimed by the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an arm of armed groups linked to the Hashed al Shaabi (“Popular Mobilization”) coalition of former militias, now integrated into Iraq’s regular armed forces.
In response, US forces struck Iran-linked targets in Iraq and Syria.
A US military official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed on Sunday that a self-defense strike against a drone launch site near Kirkuk in northern Iraq had been carried out against what he said was an imminent threat.
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq later announced five deaths.
The strike came a day after Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al Sudani said in a phone call with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken that Baghdad rejects any attack on Iraqi territory, the prime minister’s office said in a statement.
Mr. Shia al Sudani also said that the Iraqi government is committed to “ensuring the security of the international coalition advisers in Iraq.”
On Wednesday, a US military official said a drone targeted Western troops at Ain al-Assad Air Force Base in western Iraq, but there were no casualties or damage.
In total, Washington has counted at least 78 attacks on its forces in Iraq and Syria since Oct. 17, 10 days after the war between Israel and Hamas began.
The war, now in its third month, began with an unprecedented attack by a Palestinian militant group on Israeli territory, in which, according to Israeli officials, about 1,200 people were killed. people and about 240 people were captured as hostages.
In response, Israel vowed to destroy Hamas, with 17,177 people killed in bombings and ground attacks, Hamas’s government in the Gaza Strip said.
The attacks on US personnel included rocket fire and drone strikes, injuring at least 60 US personnel, according to the Pentagon.
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2024-08-16 09:42:49
