Air defenses respond to rocket attack on US Embassy in Baghdad - report
The incident took place after a number of rocket attacks near the US Embassy in Baghdad and other US military sites in recent weeks.
By TZVI JOFFREA picture released by Israeli Defence Forces press office shows a launch of a Patriot missile in southern Israel(photo credit: REUTERS)
Air defense systems responded to a rocket attack on the US Embassy in Baghdad on Saturday night, according to Al-Arabiya.The eastern entrance of the “Green Zone” in Baghdad where the embassy is located was reportedly closed after the attack. The rocket reportedly fell near a number of protesters near the suspension bridge in the Green Zone.Earlier on Saturday, explosions and gunfire were heard in Baghdad during a live-fire training exercise by US special forces in charge of protecting the US embassy, according to Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.The exercise used live ammunition and air defense systems to simulate an attack on the embassy in order to train troops how to protect the embassy in such a situation.The US received approval from the Iraqi government to carry out the exercise.The rocket attack on Saturday took place after a number of rocket attacks near the US Embassy in Baghdad and other US military sites in recent weeks. In June, there were six rocket attacks on the US Embassy, the airport and a base housing US forces.Two weeks ago, the Iraqi military said that its forces had raided a base in southern Baghdad used by militiamen suspected of firing rockets at foreign embassies in Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone and its international airport.Iraqi authorities were questioning the 14 men detained during the raid, the military added. A number of those arrested were later released.The raid was the most brazen action taken by Iraqi forces against a major Iran-backed militia in years and targeted the Kataib Hezbollah group, which US officials accuse of firing rockets at bases hosting US troops and other facilities in Iraq.This is a developing story.Reuters and Seth J. Frantzman contributed to this report.
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