The US Embassy in Baghdad has urged American citizens to leave Iraq immediately in an updated security alert issued on Saturday, following an overnight missile attack on the diplomatic mission’s building.
“U.S. citizens choosing to remain in Iraq are strongly encouraged to reconsider in light of the significant threat posed by Iran-aligned terrorist militia groups,” the embassy said.
The fresh advisory came hours after a missile struck a helipad inside the US Embassy compound in Baghdad on Saturday (local time). No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.
The advisory also strictly asked US citizens to refrain from visiting both the embassy in Baghdad and the US consulate in Erbil, citing “ongoing risk of rockets, drones, and mortars in Iraqi airspace.”
US EMBASSY IN IRAQ’S ADVISORY
“Iran-aligned terrorist militias have attacked the International Zone in central Baghdad on multiple occasions. The International Zone remains closed, with limited exceptions. Repeated attacks have also occurred in the vicinity of Erbil International Airport and the Consulate General. Do not attempt to come to the Embassy in Baghdad or the Consulate General in Erbil due to the ongoing risk of rockets, drones, and mortars in Iraqi airspace,” the advisory, originally in Arabic, read.
The attack closely followed strikes that killed three members of an Iran-aligned Shia Muslim militia in Baghdad, according to security sources cited by news agency Reuters.
The embassy complex, one of the largest US diplomatic facilities in the world, has been repeatedly targeted by rockets and drones fired by Iran-backed militias.
On Friday, the US Embassy had renewed its Level 4 security alert for Iraq, warning that Iran and Iran-aligned militia groups have previously carried out attacks against US citizens, interests and infrastructure and “may continue to target them.”
IRAQI MILITIAS UP ATTACKS
The ongoing war between Iran and the joint front of Israel and the US has rapidly engulfed the broader Middle East region, with Shia militias targeting American interests in Iraq with a growing frequency over the past few days, per multiple sources cited by Reuters.
On Saturday, the UAE’s consulate in Erbil was targeted in a drone attack for at least a second time since the outbreak of prevailing hostilities in the region.
(With inputs from agencies)
