Rocket Hits US Embassy Compound in Baghdad, Iraq
Reports indicate that a rocket struck the United States Embassy compound in Baghdad on Saturday, according to Iraqi officials.
Associated Press, citing two Iraqi officials, reported that at least one rocket landed inside the compound of the United States Embassy Baghdad.
Images circulating online showed a column of smoke rising from the embassy area inside Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone, where several diplomatic missions and government buildings are located.
US embassy officials have not yet issued an immediate statement regarding the reported rocket strike or possible damage inside the diplomatic compound.
The Baghdad embassy complex is one of the largest diplomatic facilities operated by the United States anywhere in the world and has previously been targeted by rockets and drones.
Many of those attacks have been attributed to armed groups aligned with Iran that operate in Iraq and oppose the US military presence in the country.
The reported attack also follows the recent crash of a US military refueling aircraft in western Iraq after an Iran-aligned militia group claimed responsibility for shooting it down.
The strikes came after reports that Iranian missiles targeted a major military facility hosting American forces in Saudi Arabia. According to reports, five US Air Force refueling aircraft stationed at Prince Sultan Air Base were damaged during the attack, though none were completely destroyed and no casualties were reported.
The aircraft, believed to be KC-135 aerial refueling tankers, are critical for extending the operational range of fighter jets and bombers during missions in the Middle East. Reports said the damaged planes are currently undergoing repairs following the Iranian strike.
The latest incident underscores the growing security tensions in Iraq and across the Middle East, where confrontations between US forces and Iran-linked groups continue to raise fears of wider escalation.
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