The United States embassy in Iraq was the target of an attack in the early hours of Saturday (14), after bombings in Baghdad against an influential pro-Iran group that left three dead, including an “important personality”, according to security sources.
Amid the war started on February 28 by Israel and the United States against Iran, Iraq was drawn into the conflict after local pro-Tehran armed movements began claiming daily drone attacks against Washington’s military or oil installations.
In response, the positions of these factions became the target of attacks attributed to the United States or Israel.
In the early hours of Saturday, an AFP journalist saw dark smoke over the American embassy, located in a high security zone that houses diplomatic representations, international institutions and government bodies in the center of the capital.
A senior security official interviewed by AFP mentioned a drone attack. Another confirmed an attack, referring to rocket fire, and detailed that a projectile fell near the landing strip of the diplomatic complex.
This is the second attack on the American diplomatic mission since the start of the war in the Middle East. It was launched just hours after attacks against the Hezbollah Brigades, an influential armed group that lost two of its members, according to security officials.
The identity of these members was not disclosed by the sources contacted by AFP, and the Hezbollah Brigades, classified as a “terrorist” group by Washington, have not yet issued any statement to date.
Shortly after 2 am (8 pm in Brasília), in the luxurious neighborhood of Arassat, where pro-Iranian armed factions have settled, a missile hit a house that served as the headquarters of the Hezbollah Brigades, a senior security official told AFP.
“An important personality died” and two other people were injured in the attack, according to this source. Subsequently, the number of fatalities was revised to three, all of them killed in the residence, according to a pro-Iranian source to AFP.
Hezbollah Brigades organized a funeral procession in Baghdad in memory of three fighters, including commander Abu Ali al-Amiri.
AFP journalists heard loud explosions, before ambulance sirens sounded. Witnesses said they saw white smoke in the neighborhood.
Two hours later, an airstrike struck a vehicle near a bridge in eastern Baghdad and left one person dead, according to two other security sources.
A member of the Hashd al-Shaabi militia claims that he is a member of the Hezbollah Brigades. This coalition of former paramilitaries, integrated into the regular Iraqi forces, includes pro-Iranian armed groups that, like the Brigades, have a reputation for acting on their own.
*AFP
