Missiles and drones chase Americans out of Iraq
US citizens told to leave as Iran attacks embassies, bases and hotels
Missiles and drones struck US embassies, bases and hotels in Iraq as Irantargeted American military personnel and civilians in the region.
All Americans were told to leave Iraq immediately by the state department after assets came under attack from Iran and its regional proxies.
A missile hit the Baghdad embassy, destroying part of its air defences, on Saturday. A one-way attack drone commonly seen on the Ukrainian battlefield was filmed flying freely around a US military base before exploding into a doorway.
In a warning to its citizens, the US embassy said: “Iran-aligned terrorist militias have encouraged and carried out indiscriminate attacks against US citizens and US-associated targets throughout Iraq, including in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. US citizens should leave Iraq immediately.”
The security alert also said that hotels used by foreigners had been attacked and Americans faced a heightened risk of kidnapping in Iraq, which has long been a proxy battleground between Washington and Tehran.
Over the course of a week reporting in Iraq, The Telegraph witnessed attacks from both sides almost every day. For civilians, there were almost no alarm systems or bomb shelters.
Hotels began refusing to house Americans and other Westerners over the risk of attack, while bounties appeared online as pro-Iranian militias aimed to capture foreign hostages.
Since the outbreak of the war on Iran, there have been at least 25 Iranian attacks on US sites or locations housing American military personnel in the Middle East, according to an AFP analysis.
This weekend saw some of the most intense nights of strikes in recent days, as rockets and drones targeted sites linked to the US in the Iraqi capital where Western forces are concentrated.
The missile strike on Saturday managed to breach the defences of the US embassy, hitting a helipad, causing damage inside the diplomatic complex and destroying part of a C-RAM air defence system.
It marked one of the most direct hits on the compound in recent years, reaching an area designed to withstand frequent rocket attacks. No casualties were reported.
Footage also emerged showing a drone piloted by an Iranian proxy group moving through the US’s Victory Base near Baghdad International Airport. In what is believed to be the first such attack, it bypassed US defences and struck a building.
It is unclear how much damage American air defence systems in Baghdad have sustained, but the increased attacks risk leaving the US assets increasingly exposed in the country.
Between Feb 28 and March 11, four attacks targeted US embassies or consulates in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Iraq. Another 21 Iranian missile or drone attacks targeted 13 different military sites housing American personnel, including the Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia and Erbil Airport in Iraq, both of which were attacked at least four times.
The Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar and Al Dhafra Air Base in the United Arab Emirates were each targeted at least twice.
Danny Citrinowicz, the former head of Israel’s military intelligence and an Iran expert at the Israeli Institute of National Security Studies, told The Telegraph: “Iran is trying to hit US personnel wherever. They say that they’re living in hotels in the Gulf and that they’ll try to hit those hotels.”
The intensity of attacks by Iran-aligned militias has increased significantly in recent days, with rockets, drones and mortars increasingly targeting American infrastructure.
The US embassy in Iraq said: “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.”
Washington has previously warned Baghdad that Iran-aligned militia groups must not be allowed to use Iraqi territory as a launchpad for attacks on Western personnel or diplomatic sites.
The situation has also renewed concerns about the risks of Islamic State fighters imprisoned in Iraqi jails escaping amid the chaos and strikes.
Iraq’s justice ministry warned that drone attacks near the Baghdad airport threatened the security of a nearby prison housing thousands of high-risk IS suspects recently brought from Syria.
The detainees are reported to include senior IS leaders as well as European foreign fighters.
It is feared that such facilities remain high-value targets for militant organisations seeking to free imprisoned fighters. The Islamic State has previously carried out major prison-break operations to replenish its ranks.
Ahmed Laibi, a spokesman for the justice ministry, said the area near the prison had been “subjected to repeated strikes”. The most intense took place on Saturday, hitting “in very close proximity to the prison”.
Italy has begun pulling troops out of northern Iraq following the latest escalation, sending some soldiers home and relocating others to Jordan, while also reducing small deployments in several Gulf states.
Other Western militaries, including Britain and France, have repositioned forces or strengthened naval deployments in the region.
[Source: Daily Telegraph]
