US Embassy in Iraq's Green Zone comes under rocket attack

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies + Al Mayadeen
8 Dec 2023 09:12
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The attack on the Green Zone comes amid increased attacks by the Iraqi Resistance.

The US embassy in Baghdad, Iraq (US State Department)

Al Mayadeen's correspondent reported that several rockets were launched at Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone, which houses the US Embassy, during the early hours of Friday.

In further detail, an Iraqi military official said, as quoted by AFP, that three rockets targeted the vicinity of the US Embassy located in the Green Zone in Baghdad on Friday morning.

"A multi-rocket attack was launched at US and Coalition forces in the vicinity of Union III and the Baghdad embassy complex" without causing any reported casualties or damage, a US official said.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

In a statement, the US embassy said "two salvoes of rockets" were fired at the mission compound at around 4:15 am (0115 GMT).

"Indications are the attacks were initiated by Iran-aligned militias," said a US spokesperson.

The spokesperson called on Iraq's government to protect diplomats, coalition partners, and facilities, adding, "We reiterate that we reserve the right to self-defence and to protect our personnel anywhere in the world."

The official verified the activation of alarms and reported hearing what is presumed to be the sound of impacts near the US Embassy complex and the nearby Forward Operating Base Union III, accommodating forces from the international coalition.

🚨| 🇮🇶🇺🇸 US Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq, has been targeted by a barrage of rockets. pic.twitter.com/b5TMuEMtN7
— Arya - آریا 🇮🇷 (@AryJeay) December 8, 2023

The official, who preferred not to disclose his identity, stated, "We are awaiting official information about the nature of the attack."

On December 3, five members of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq were martyred as a result of a US strike on Kirkuk, northern Iraq, informed sources told Al Mayadeen.

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq later mourned five of its fighters who "rose in the battle of right against falsehood, embodied by the American occupation forces in Iraq."

Moreover, the Resistance in Iraq affirmed that it will remain steadfast in its confrontations against its enemies, promising to intensify its attacks against the US occupation forces, until they are "expelled, humiliated, and defeated from" Iraq.

On November 22, eight people were martyred in a US airstrike on Jurf al-Nasr, a small town to the southwest of Baghdad, according to Al Mayadeen's correspondent.

The US forces previously said in a statement to Reuters that two facilities were targeted in Iraq, as the Islamic Resistance in Iraq resumed operations against US forces in Iraq and Syria in light of the ongoing genocide "Israel" is committing in Gaza.

In response to the US attack, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al-Sudani confirmed Iraq’s position rejecting any aggression against Iraqi lands during a phone call with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Saturday,

During his call with Blinken, al-Sudani emphasized that the attack on the Jurf al-Nasr area constituted a violation of Iraqi sovereignty, as indicated in a statement by his office.

Simultaneously, al-Sudani reiterated "the Iraqi government's commitment to safeguarding international coalition advisors present in Iraq," as stated in the release.

Moreover, Hezbollah Brigades in Iraq affirmed, "The crime of the American bombing of the PMF headquarters necessitates expanding the range of targets if the enemy persists in its criminal approach," emphasizing that this crime "has not passed and will not go unpunished."

The US forces under fire amid Gaza genocide

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq announced, on December 6, that it targeted the US occupation base of Ain al-Assad in al-Anbar Governorate in western Iraq, in response to Israeli war crimes in Gaza and the US backing of the Israeli occupation.

At the time, Al Mayadeen's correspondent reported that a drone attack targeted US forces at Harir base in Erbil Governorate, which was later claimed by the Islamic Resistance in Iraq.

It is worth noting that a Pentagon official said, on December 3, that US forces and the international coalition were attacked at least 76 times in Iraq and Syria since the start of Operation al-Aqsa Flood on October 7.

The US and international occupation forces came under fire from the Islamic Resistance in the region as the latter shows solidarity with the people of Gaza and all of occupied Palestine, while the US continues to funnel in weapons and equipment to the Israeli occupation.

The Resistance in Iraq affirmed, on December 3, that it would remain steadfast in its confrontations against its enemies, promising to intensify its attacks against the US occupation forces, until they are "expelled, humiliated, and defeated from" Iraq.