US Embassy Baghdad: Two Iraqi security officials said a missile hit a heliport on the US Embassy compound in Baghdad, and Associated Press footage showed smoke rising over the embassy Saturday morning, the AP reported.
The sprawling embassy complex, one of the largest US diplomatic facilities in the world, has been repeatedly targeted by missiles and drones fired by Iran-linked militias.
The US Embassy in Baghdad did not immediately comment. The embassy on Friday restored a Level 4 security alert for Iraq, warning that Iran and Iran-linked militias have previously carried out attacks against US citizens, interests and infrastructure and “may continue to target them”.
The sprawling embassy complex, one of the largest American diplomatic facilities in the world, has been repeatedly targeted by missiles and drones from Iran-linked militias in the past.
Since the conflict began on February 28 with a major US-Israeli strike in Iran, drone and missile attacks have repeatedly hit US interests in Iraq – including military bases near Baghdad and airports in Erbil, as well as US diplomatic facilities. At the same time, Iran and allied Iraqi militias launched strikes on oil fields and other energy infrastructure, escalating the war’s economic impact.
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Last post from US Embassy Baghdad before attack: ‘Keep a low profile’
A post from the US Embassy in Baghdad on X said: “Iran and its associated terrorist militias pose a significant threat to public security in Iraq. Attacks targeting US citizens, US interests and critical infrastructure have been observed.”
Earlier in the day, Iran’s armed forces warned they would target oil infrastructure linked to Washington after President Donald Trump announced the United States had bombed Iran’s oil hub, Kharg Island.
The military’s Al-Anbiya Central Command said in a statement reported by Iranian media that any oil or energy facilities owned by companies cooperating with the United States would be “immediately destroyed and turned into a pile of ashes” if Iranian energy sites were attacked.
The announcement, reported by Iran’s Fars and Tasnim news agencies, was a “reaction to the statement” of the US president, who had earlier said in a social media post that the strikes had “wiped out” military targets on Charg Island.
Iraq is caught in the crossfire of the Iran war
Iraq is increasingly caught in the crossfire of a conflict involving Iran and has become the only country targeted by both sides, raising the risk that a nation previously spared two years of regional unrest could spiral into full-blown crisis, the AP reports.
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As the war approaches its second week, conditions in Iraq are worsening. Attacks on oil fields and infrastructure, along with disruptions to shipping in the Persian Gulf, have almost completely halted exports, threatening a country that depends on the trade for most of its income.
Iranian-backed groups have also targeted Kurdish factions in northern Iraq after reports emerged that Washington planned to arm some of them to counter Tehran. Some Iranian Kurdish leaders have indicated they could conduct cross-border operations into Iran if the US supports them, the AP reported.
Iraq is currently governed by an interim administration after the US opposed the nomination of former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. Interim Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, with even more limited powers, lacks the power to control influential militia groups.
In response, the US carried out strikes on militia positions across Iraq, including locations in Jurf al-Sakhr south of Baghdad in northern Iraq and al-Qaim near the Iraq-Syria border.
As in previous conflicts, Iraqis have adapted to the daily violence that disrupts daily life. In Erbil, cafe patrons heard the sound of incoming drones followed by a muffled explosion and saw smoke rising on the horizon where a projectile had been intercepted. The waiter assured customers that the attacks were targeting American facilities, such as the consulate or airport, and posed no immediate danger to them.
(With input from agencies)
