Explosions were heard early on Friday morning in the vicinity of the Iraqi capital’s heavily fortified Green Zone, which houses the institution. US troops and installations across the region have come under attack as Washington continues to support the Israeli regime’s bombardment of Gaza.
News agencies, quoting unnamed US and Iraqi military officials, report that rockets landed on the outskirts of the district housing government and diplomatic buildings at dawn, Al Jazeera reported.
Alarm sirens calling on people to “duck and cover” were activated. According to social media videos verified by Al Jazeera’s verification unit, Sanad, rockets were seen landing near the US embassy.
In one video, sirens are heard amid a series of explosions close to the building. Another shows an area of Baghdad’s diplomatic zone as explosions are heard in the background.
The US embassy in Baghdad has not yet commented on the reports. It was not immediately clear whether the embassy’s air defense systems were activated or if there were any injuries.
Iraqi groups that support Palestinians have promised retaliation against the Zionist regime and its close ally the US for the deadly war in Gaza.
According to the Pentagon, since the Gaza war erupted on October 7, US forces deployed in Iraq and Syria have been attacked at least 66 times, causing injuries to more than 60 personnel. However, until now, diplomatic missions have been spared.