3 rockets hit Baghdad’s Green Zone not far from US embassy, nearby areas

The Iraqi capital’s heavily fortified Green Zone housing foreign embassies, including the American one, has been targeted in a rocket attack which saw two projectiles landing in the area and another one in a nearby district.

Three ‘Katyusha’ unguided rockets struck central Baghdad, the Iraqi military confirmed in a statement. Two of them fell in the Green Zone, not far from the US embassy. One more hit the neighboring district of Jadriya. There have been no reports of any casualties or damage resulting from the attack.

It is the second such incident targeting the Green Zone in just a few days since a top Iranian commander was killed on orders from Washington.

On Saturday, at least two rockets also hit the area not far from the American diplomatic mission. Mortar shells also landed in a nearby city district injuring five people at that time.

A military base located north of Baghdad and hosting some US forces was also targeted in a separate rocket attack on Saturday, but there were no casualties.

The incidents come after Major General Qassem Soleimani, the commander of Iran’s elite Quds Force, was killed in a US drone strike alongside a deputy commander of an Iraqi Shia militia and a dozen other people. The strike sent shockwaves across both Iran and Iraq where thousands of people took to the streets to mourn the dead and condemn Washington’s actions.

Tehran branded the general’s assassination “an act of terrorism” and vowed revenge. Iraqi Shia militia Kataib Hezbollah issued a warning to local security forces on Saturday, implying more attacks are coming. It specifically said that people should stay away from US bases starting Sunday evening but stopped short of actually taking responsibility for the rocket attacks.

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