Daily US Times: At least four rockets hit near the sprawling U.S. Embassy in Baghdad and an Iraqi base hosting American troops inside the Green Zone early Sunday, but both the US and Iraqi officials confirmed there were no casualties with only one minor damage.
A spokesman for the U.S. military operation in Iraq Col. Myles B. Caggins III said the attack came just before 3:30 a.m. and they hit the base hosting the U.S. and other coalition forces.
Three Iraqi security officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media, said two of the rockets fell inside US embassy compound and one hit near the coalition base.
The rockets hit was the latest in a recent series of rocket and mortar strikes on Iraqi bases housing U.S. troops, which increased after the US killed Qasem Soleimani, a top Irani General.
On January 8 this year, Iran attacked two military bases in Iraq, where US troops were stationed. The Pentagon initially denied any damage, but later acknowledged that the attack injured more than a hundred troops. The attack was a retaliation for the U.S. drone strike in Baghdad that killed Iran’s most powerful general, Qassem Soleimani, on Jan. 3.
The US embassy in Baghdad has also been a flashpoint in this growing tensions between the US and Iran. Iran-backed militia stormed the embassy compound Dec. 31, smashing the main door and setting fire to the reception area.
The US killed top Irani military leader Qasem Soleimani in a drone strike on January 3. The killing created a huge outcry in the region as Iran vowed for serious revenge. Amid high tension, Iran ‘mistakenly’ shot down a Ukrainian plane killing all 176 people on board. Iran initially denied the responsibility but later acknowledged it in the face of extreme force from the western world.