A rocket attack at the sprawling US Embassy in Baghdad on Friday morning caused minor material damage but no casualties, US and Iraqi officials said. The attack is the first to be confirmed since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war on the US Embassy, in Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone, which houses Iraqi government buildings and embassies, on the west bank of the Tigris River.
Iran-backed militias in Iraq have claimed responsibility for dozens of attacks that targeted bases housing US troops in Iraq and Syria since the Israel-Hamas war began two months ago. The US military says a total of 78 attacks have been carried out against US facilities over the past weeks of which 37 were in Iraq and 41 in Syria. An Iraqi security official said 14 Katyusha rockets were fired on Friday, of which some struck near the one of the embassy’s gates while others fell in the river. The official said the rocket attack caused material damage but no casualties.
A US military official said a multi-rocket attack was launched at US and Coalition forces in the vicinity of the embassy complex and Union III that houses offices of the US-led coalition. The official added that no casualties and no damage to infrastructure were reported. An embassy spokesperson said at approximately 4:15 a.m. (0215 GMT) the US Embassy was attacked by two salvos of rockets.
“Assessments are ongoing, but there are no reported casualties on the Embassy compound,” the official said, adding that by Friday morning no specific group had claimed responsibility, but indications are the attacks were from Iran-aligned militias.