A missile struck and exploded at a helipad inside the U.S. Embassy compound in Baghdad, Iraq, as the United States and Israel have been engaged in conflict with Iran for more than two weeks.
The Associated Press reported on the 14th, citing Iraqi security officials, that a missile landed on the helicopter landing pad within the U.S. Embassy complex in Baghdad that morning.
"Footage obtained shows black smoke rising above the embassy compound after the missile explosion," AP reported. "It has not yet been confirmed whether the attack was carried out by Iran or by Iran-backed militant groups in Iraq."
The U.S. Embassy compound in Baghdad is one of the largest American diplomatic facilities in the world. Iran-linked militant groups have continued to target the site using rockets and drones.
The U.S. Embassy in Iraq had raised its security alert to the highest level of 4 on the 13th, warning that Iran or Iran-affiliated armed groups could target American citizens and infrastructure.
On the 10th, the Baghdad Diplomatic Support Center (BDSC), a major logistics hub supporting U.S. diplomatic personnel in Iraq, was also hit by a drone attack. The attack was believed to have been carried out by militias under the Islamic Resistance in Iraq (IRI), a pro-Iran armed organization in the country.
Attacks suspected to be retaliation by Iran and its proxies are expanding to U.S. diplomatic facilities across the Middle East. On the 28th of last month, following the U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran, the U.S. Embassy building in Kuwait and the U.S. Consulate in Dubai, UAE, were also hit. In response, the U.S. State Department has been withdrawing non-essential diplomatic personnel from several countries in the Middle East.