Drones, rockets fired at US Embassy in Baghdad: report

The US embassy in Baghdad came under assault from a barrage of rockets and drones early Tuesday in an attack described as one of the most intense on Iraq since the war broke out.

Two drones were shot down by the C-RAM defense system while a third hit a building within the embassy’s compound — sending fire and huge plumes of smoke rising, witnesses said.

Footage, seen by CNN, showed air defense systems intercepting what looks like a drone over Baghdad. 

A large explosion was seen near the US Embassy compound in Baghdad in the early hours on Tuesday. Storyful

The drone was intercepted before an explosion erupted – located around 1,000 meters from the US embassy.

“There it is, there it is,” a voice is heard saying in the video as the drone was intercepted.

“It hit, it hit, it hit, it hit. What is that? A flying drone?”

A drone hit the Al Rasheed Hotel located in Baghdad’s Green Zone – a highly fortified area that is home to the embassy and other government buildings, Al Jazeera reported.

Smoke rises as debris falls to the ground as a C-RAM air defence system intercepts drones during reported drone and rocket attacks on the US embassy on Tuesday. via REUTERS Smoke and fire rise during reported drone and rocket strikes at the US embassy in Baghdad, Iraq. via REUTERS

Foreign diplomats and oil company employees often visit the hotel.

Security forces were deployed and armored vehicles blocked access to the Green Zone following the strike.

Iraq’s prime minister, Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, quickly condemned the attacks. 

He vowed the authorities would “hunt down the perpetrators of these acts and bring them to justice immediately.”

“These criminal acts have serious repercussions for our country and undermine the government’s efforts toward reconstruction and prosperity,” his spokesperson said.

Two drones were shot down by the C-RAM defense system while a third hit the embassy, witnesses said. via REUTERS

Iraqi security sources describing the attack as the most intense since the start of the US-Israel war with Iran.

The embassy and hotel came under fire – just days after Abu Ali al-Askari, a high-ranking official of the Kataeb Hezbollah militia, was killed in a Baghdad attack.

The Iranian-backed militia group has been designated as a terrorist organization by the US government.

Meanwhile, Israeli forces launched ground operations in southern Lebanon Monday, targeting Hezbollah strongholds.

With Post wires