Missile Strikes U.S. Embassy Compound in Iraq

[Financial News] As the conflict between the United States (US) and Israel on one side and Iran on the other has stretched beyond two weeks, a missile struck and exploded at a helipad inside the US Embassy compound in Baghdad, Iraq. The Associated Press (AP), citing Iraqi security officials, reported on the 14th that a single missile landed that morning on the helicopter landing pad within the US Embassy compound in Baghdad. Video footage released after the blast showed black smoke rising above the embassy complex.
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It remains unclear whether the attack was carried out by Iran or by armed groups in Iraq that support Iran.
The US Embassy compound in Baghdad is one of the largest American diplomatic facilities in the world. Armed groups linked to Iran have repeatedly targeted the site with rockets and drones.
Ahead of this latest strike, the Embassy of the United States of America in Baghdad on the 13th raised its security alert back to the highest Level 4, warning that Iran or Iran‐aligned militias could target US citizens and infrastructure.
On the 10th, the Baghdad Diplomatic Support Center, a major logistics hub that supports US diplomatic personnel in Iraq, was also hit in a drone attack.
That attack was widely assessed as likely having been carried out by a militia under the Islamic Resistance in Iraq (IRI), a pro‐Iran armed group operating in Iraq.
Attacks believed to be retaliation by Iran and its proxy forces are now spreading to US diplomatic facilities across the Middle East.
Since the United States and Israel began their strikes on Iran on the 28th of last month, the US Embassy building in Kuwait and the US Consulate in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), have been hit in a series of attacks. In response, the United States Department of State (State Department) has recently been withdrawing large numbers of non‐essential diplomatic staff from several countries in the region.
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cafe9@fnnews.com Lee Gu-soon Reporter