Iranian missile strikes helipad in US embassy compound in Iraq

A missile strike has hit the United States Embassy Baghdad in Baghdad, sending smoke rising from the diplomatic compound and raising further concerns about security amid the escalating regional conflict.

According to an Iraqi security source cited by Al Jazeera, the attack damaged part of the embassy’s air defence system, although officials did not immediately provide detailed information about the extent of the destruction.

Security officials told the Associated Press that a missile struck a helipad inside the embassy compound. The projectile reportedly landed within the embassy grounds after entering the heavily fortified Green Zone Baghdad, an area that contains Iraqi government institutions and several foreign diplomatic missions.

There was no immediate statement from the U.S. embassy regarding casualties or damage. Videos shared on social media appeared to show smoke rising from within the compound shortly after the strike.

Reporting from Baghdad, Al Jazeera correspondent Mahmoud Abdelwahed said it was still unclear whether anyone had been injured. He noted: “But we understand that Iran-aligned armed groups in Iraq have always pledged to attack US facilities, especially the embassy.”

According to the report, these groups have said they want to avenge the killing of Ali Khamenei, who was reportedly killed alongside family members in a U.S.-Israeli strike earlier in the conflict. Abdelwahed added that some armed groups had recently issued threats targeting U.S. personnel in Iraq.

He said: “Yesterday, they issued a statement putting $100,000 as a reward to anyone who provides information leading to any US diplomatic personnel inside the country.” The latest strike marks the second attack on the embassy since the beginning of the war.

On Friday, March 13, the U.S. embassy renewed its highest security warning for Iraq, advising American citizens to avoid travel to the country due to ongoing threats. The embassy complex in Baghdad is one of the largest U.S. diplomatic facilities in the world and has previously been targeted by rocket and drone attacks.

Several armed factions aligned with Iran operate in Iraq under an umbrella coalition known as the Islamic Resistance in Iraq. Some of these groups have claimed responsibility for repeated attacks on U.S. military bases and facilities across the region.

Saturday’s strike occurred shortly after two attacks targeted the Iran-backed militia group Kataeb Hezbollah, reportedly killing two of its members, including a senior figure, according to security sources.

Iraq has long been a focal point of tension between United States and Iran. Since the start of the wider regional conflict triggered by U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28, the country has increasingly become a battleground for retaliatory attacks by both sides and their allied groups.