Rockets hit US embassy in Baghdad amid growing tensions between America, Iran
Three rockets hit the US embassy in Baghdad on Sunday, Iraqi authorities said, adding that no casualties or material damage was reported in the incident.
FollowBaghdad: Three rockets struck the US Embassy compound in Baghdad on Sunday, leaving three people injured, a US official told CNN according to initial reports.
The official said the injuries were minor and one of the individuals had since returned to duty.
A State Department spokesperson said Sunday evening that they "are aware of reports of rockets landing in the International Zone," but did not address the US embassy itself. The State Department did not respond to a query as to whether any embassy employees were injured.
"We call on the Government of Iraq to fulfil its obligations to protect our diplomatic facilities," the spokesperson said.
The rockets hit the high security 'Green Zone' in Baghdad which houses several foreign diplomatic missions, Anadolu Agency reported, citing Iraqi authorities. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack yet.
No group has claimed responsibility, but the US has blamed Iran-backed military factions in Iraq in the past.
Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi condemned the attack, stating that the continuation of such acts could "drag Iraq into becoming a battlefield".
The incident comes two days after thousands gathered in Baghdad calling for US troops' withdrawal from the country.
The US State Department said: "We call on the Government of Iraq to fulfil its obligations to protect our diplomatic facilities."
Tensions have been simmering in the Middle East since the killing of top Iranian General Qassem Soleimani by the US in an airstrike near Baghdad International Airport earlier this month.
The 'Green Zone' in Baghdad is a heavily fortified area in the centre of the Iraqi capital, where government agencies and foreign diplomatic missions are located.
With ANI Inputs
