Explosions were heard in Baghdad on Saturday morning, sending a cloud of black smoke into the sky near the US embassy compound.
Security officials said the embassy complex was hit during the attack, though the exact cause remains unclear. One official said a drone struck the diplomatic mission, while another security source said a projectile believed to be a rocket landed near the embassy’s airbase.
An AFP journalist at the scene reported hearing loud blasts followed by rising smoke over the area where the US embassy is located. The US embassy did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the incident. This is the second time the US embassy in Baghdad has come under attack since the regional conflict intensified.
Iraq has often become a battleground for tensions between the United States and Iran. The situation worsened after US and Israeli strikes on Iran triggered a wider conflict in the region. Several Iran-backed armed groups operating in Iraq have claimed responsibility for frequent drone and rocket attacks on US bases across the region.
These groups operate under an umbrella alliance known as the Islamic Resistance in Iraq. Since the start of the conflict, several strikes targeting members of these groups inside Iraq have also been blamed on the United States and Israel.
Saturday’s attack happened shortly after two separate strikes targeted the powerful Iran-backed group Kataeb Hezbollah in Baghdad. Security sources said the first strike happened around 02:15 am when a missile hit a house reportedly used by the group.
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According to officials, a “key figure” from Kataeb Hezbollah was killed in the strike, while two other members were injured.
AFP journalists reported hearing the blast followed by ambulance sirens across parts of the city. Witnesses said smoke was rising from the Arasat neighborhood, an area where several Iran-backed groups are believed to have offices.
A few hours later, another airstrike hit a vehicle in eastern Baghdad. Security sources said the strike killed a member of the Hashed al-Shaabi forces. An official from Hashed al-Shaabi confirmed that the man who died belonged to the Kataeb Hezbollah group.
The Hashed al-Shaabi, also known as the Popular Mobilization Forces, was once a paramilitary organization but is now integrated into Iraq’s official armed forces. The group includes several brigades linked to Iran-backed factions such as Kataeb Hezbollah.
So far, no group has claimed responsibility for the attack on the US embassy, and officials have not confirmed who carried out the earlier strikes. The situation in Baghdad remains tense as fears grow that the conflict in the region could widen further.
