Baghdad: US Embassy Hit by Missile Strike as Regional Tensions Escalate
The US embassy in baghdad, Iraq, was hit by a missile attack that sent smoke rising from the compound, as fighting and threats across the region intensified and President Donald Trump said US strikes had “totally obliterated” military targets on Iran’s key oil island.
Baghdad Strike Hits Embassy Helipad, Damage Still Unclear
The missile landed within the boundaries of the US Embassy in baghdad, inside the Green Zone, a heavily fortified district in central Baghdad that houses Iraqi government institutions and foreign embassies. Security a missile struck a helipad inside the embassy compound.
An Iraqi security source said the attack destroyed part of the mission’s air defence system, without providing further details. Videos posted by social media users showed smoke rising from the compound after the strike.
There was no immediate comment from the US Embassy in Baghdad. No immediate statement was available on whether there were casualties or the exact extent of damage.
The incident was described as the second time the US Embassy has come under attack in Baghdad since the start of the war.
US Warning Level Stays at Highest as Groups Signal Intent to Target Facilities
The embassy had renewed its Level 4 security alert for Iraq on Friday, warning that Iran and Iran-aligned armed groups have previously carried out attacks against US citizens, interests and infrastructure, and may continue to target them.
The embassy complex has been repeatedly attacked by rockets and drones in the past. Several Tehran-backed armed groups, which Washington has designated as terrorist organisations, have claimed daily drone and rocket attacks against US bases in the region under an umbrella movement known as the Islamic Resistance in Iraq.
In commentary from Baghdad, it was also stated that Iran-aligned armed groups in Iraq have pledged to attack US facilities, especially the embassy, and that some personnel were taking shelter in civilian houses. Separately, it was said those groups sought to avenge the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, described as the former supreme leader, who was said to have been assassinated along with family members by a US-Israeli air strike at the beginning of the war.
Trump Claims Targets on Iran’s Kharg Island “Totally Obliterated”
As the Baghdad attack unfolded, President Trump said “every military target” on Iran’s key oil island had been “totally obliterated, ” while noting that no damage to oil infrastructure had been reported.
Kharg Island was described as a small but strategically important terminal in the northern Gulf, located 22 miles off Iran’s coast. It was also described as handling close to 90% of Iran’s oil exports because the surrounding waters are deep enough to load tankers known as Very Large Crude Carriers.
Iran, meanwhile, warned that oil and energy infrastructure belonging to firms that co-operate with the US would be “turned into a pile of ashes” if Iran’s energy facilities are attacked. The Strait of Hormuz was described as having been practically closed to marine traffic since the war began a fortnight ago.
Elsewhere in the Middle East, Tehran residents said the capital was “hit hard” overnight as Israel and Iran both warned of fresh attacks. It was also stated that at least 12 medical staff were killed in an Israeli strike in Lebanon. In the United Arab Emirates, footage shared online was described as showing large clouds of smoke rising over the port of Fujairah after a drone strike earlier targeted the area.
In Iraq, the latest embassy strike came shortly after two strikes hit the Iran-backed group Kataib Hezbollah and killed two of its members, including a “key figure, ” based on security sources. Iraq has seen attacks from both sides of the conflict, with Iran and its proxies targeting US bases and the US bombing pro-Iran groups.
