Five Rockets Hit Near US Embassy In Iraq Capital Baghdad

A volley of rockets landed near the US embassy in the Iraqi capital Baghdad Sunday evening, two security sources told news agency AFP, in the latest unclaimed attack on American installations in the country. AFP reporters heard loud thuds emanating from the western bank of the Tigris, where most foreign embassies are located. One security source said three Katyusha rockets hit near the high-security compound while another said as many as five struck the area. There was no immediate word on casualties.

The country's security services also found one fully loaded launcher. The green zone occasionally suffers from rocket attacks on account of it being the location where government facilities and foreign embassies are situated.

The rockets were fired days after Iran launched a barrage of ballistic missiles targeting US troops in Iraq, without causing serious injuries, in retaliation to the killing of General Qassem Soleimani in a US airstrike in Baghdad.

As Iran's Revolutionary Guard braced for an American counterattack that never came, it mistakenly shot down a Ukrainian jetliner shortly after it took off from Tehran's international airport, killing all 176 passengers on board, mostly Iranians.

Authorities concealed their role in the tragedy for three days, initially blaming the crash on a technical problem. Their admission of responsibility triggered days of street protests, which security forces dispersed with live ammunition and tear gas.

Tensions between Iran and the United States have steadily escalated since President Donald Trump withdrew the US from Iran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, which had imposed restrictions on its nuclear programme in exchange for the lifting of international sanctions.

The White House has since imposed crippling sanctions on Iran, including its vital oil and gas industry, pushing the country into an economic crisis that has ignited several waves of sporadic, leaderless protests. Trump has openly encouraged the protesters -- even tweeting in Farsi -- hoping that the protests and the sanctions will bring about fundamental change in a longtime adversary.

After Soleimani was killed in a US airstrike in Baghdad, Iran announced it would no longer be bound by the limitations in the nuclear agreement.

European countries who have been trying to salvage the deal responded earlier this week by invoking a dispute mechanism that is aimed at bringing Iran back into compliance and could result in even more sanctions.

(With agencies inputs)