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For the second time in a year, the US embassy in Baghdad was attacked with rockets on Friday, reported Reuters citing a US military official. The recent attack marks one of the largest against the embassy in recent memory.
There has been a gradual rise in the number of attacks against the US embassy and military bases in the region after the onset of the Israel-Hamas war. So far, no group has claimed the responsibility, but previous attacks against US forces have been carried out by Iran-aligned militias which have targeted U.S. interests in Syria and Iraq over Washington’s backing for Israel in its Gaza war.
There is a possibility that more projectiles were fired at the embassy compound but did not land within it, a US military official told Reuters.
The official also added that the attack caused very minor damage but no injuries, reported the news agency Reuters. Explosions were heard near the embassy, in the center of the capital, at around 4 am (0100 GMT) on Friday. Sirens calling on people to take cover were activated.
The attack also inflicted harm to the headquarters of an Iraqi security agency, reported the news agency citing a state media. The US military official also added that Ain al-Asad air base, which hosts the US and other international forces in western Iraq, had also been targeted but the projectiles did not land in the base.
Referring to the attacks by Iran-aligned groups across the Middle East, Sheikh Ali Damous, a senior official in the Lebanese group Hezbollah, said on a Friday these attacks are an attempt to apply pressure for a halt to Israel’s offensive in the Gaza strip. However, he didn’t specifically refer to Friday’s attack.
Sheikh Ali Damoush, a senior official in the Lebanese group Hezbollah, said in a Friday sermon that attacks by Iran-aligned groups across the Middle East aim to apply pressure for a halt to Israel’s offensive in the Gaza Strip. He did not specifically mention Friday’s attack on the US embassy.
Other than the recent attack, a dozen attacks against the US forces in Iraq and Syria have been claimed by a group of Iran-aligned Shi’ite Muslim militias operating under the banner of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq. In response to these attacks, the US has launched a series of strikes that have killed at least 15 militants in Iraq and up to seven in Syria.
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Published: 08 Dec 2023, 10:27 PM IST
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