A U.S. State Department official told Sky News on Monday that an improvised missile had struck the Green Zone near the U.S. embassy in Baghdad without causing any casualties. The official said none of the U.S. installations had been damaged.
“We are in constant contact with Iraqi officials regarding the incident and we are investigating the circumstances,” he added.
“We take what happened in Iraq very seriously,” he said. “We have made clear in the past two weeks and we reiterate that attacks on US citizens or facilities will not be tolerated and will be answered in a decisive manner.”
The U.S. official told Sky News, “We will hold Iran responsible if any of these attacks are carried out by any militia, and we will respond to Iran accordingly.”
In Britain, the Foreign Office has warned British-Iranians not to travel to the country in case they are detained.
Two SBS teams joined UK registered oil tankers transiting in the Persian Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz, where they will be monitoring Iranian activity around the island of Qesham – home to Iranian naval gunboats. Both teams will collate information as the ships move south through the Strait of Hormuz and into the Gulf of Oman, where it is understood they will be airlifted off by Royal Navy Merlin helicopters operating out of Oman.
British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt warned Tehran about threatening U.S. interests, emphasizing Washington will respond in such a scenario.
Sen. Graham, briefed by U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton, says it is clear “Iran has attacked pipelines and ships of other nations…” This is a referral to a sabotage attack against four oil tankers off the UAE coast and last week’s Houthi drones attack on two Saudi oil pump stations.
These remarks also reiterate threats against U.S. personnel & interests in Iraq.
U.S. CENTCOM issued a statement saying no members of the U.S. military or international coalition forces stationed in Iraq were harmed in Sunday night’s attack.
A Katyusha-type rocket targeted the Green Zone, which includes embassies and government buildings in the Iraqi capital Baghdad, without causing any casualties.
Two diplomats, based in Baghdad, said they heard the blast near the heavily fortified Green Zone. A security source said that the missile launcher was found near the Technological University in the Amana area of Baghdad.
Iraqi security forces began combing the Green Zone and its environs, Iraqi sources said.
Reports also claim Iran-backed militia groups in Iraq were involved in the rocket attack, launching the Katyusha rocket from “Al Rashid Base” where Asaeb al-Haq, Nojaba, Iraqi Hezbollah, Khorasani, Jund al-Imam and Badr forces are stationed under the pretext of Hashd al-Shabi (Popular Mobilization Force – PMF) units.
The Daily Beast cited an Iraqi counter-terrorism official saying the Iran-backed Katayeb Hezbollah was involved in the rocket launching.
As tensions continue to escalate, reports indicate Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) began transiting S-300 air defense batteries on Sunday in the city of Asaluyeh, Bushehr Province, southern Iran.
Leave a Reply