Iraqi security officials say at least three rockets landed in Baghdad’s Green Zone in an attack reported to be targeting the U.S. Embassy.
The rockets hit a residential complex inside the heavily fortified area, damaging buildings and cars but left no casualties, according to Reuters. The Iraqi military said an “outlaw group” fired the rockets on Sunday, causing sirens to blare from the embassy compound. One official, whose office is inside the Green Zone, said an anti-rocket system diverted one of the rockets.
The attack is the third on U.S. military and diplomatic infrastructure since an October truce that put an end to a year of roadside bomb attacks and rocket launches on foreign installations, according to Arab News, an English newspaper published in Saudi Arabia.
One attack in November left one woman dead after rockets slammed into the U.S. Embassy and other parts of Baghdad. Earlier this month, two convoys transporting logistical equipment for the U.S.-led coalition helping Iraqi troops fight militants were hit with roadside bombs.
Tensions have remained high between the United States and Iraq ahead of the Jan. 3 anniversary of the 2019 U.S. drone strike that killed Qassem Soleimani.
The recent attacks have been claimed by groups that both U.S. and Iraqi officials have described as smokescreens for Iran-aligned armed factions in Iraq.
