Nighttime rocket attack on US Embassy in Baghdad injured 1

Baghdad - At least five katyusha rockets landed inside the Green Zone on Sunday.

A nighttime rocket attack on the US Embassy in Baghdad injured at least one embassy personnel member, staffers said Monday.
The two staff members, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media, did not specify the injured person's nationality or the severity of their wounds. They said the rocket slammed into a restaurant inside the embassy compound.
Violence between Iraqi security forces and anti-government protesters also continued to seethe overnight, with one protester shot dead in a violent crackdown in the country's south. Unrest was also ongoing in the capital Baghdad with fresh clashes near the central Khilani Square.
The US Embassy is within the Iraqi capital's Green Zone, and has been a flashpoint amid wider regional tensions between the US and Iran, which have played out inside Iraq in recent weeks. Iraqi supporters of an Iran-backed militia stormed the embassy compound on Dec. 31, smashing the main door and setting fire to the reception area.
At least five katyusha rockets landed inside the Green Zone on Sunday, according to a US military statement. It was the third rocket attack targeting the US Embassy this month, and the perpetrators were not immediately known. Previous attacks caused no injuries.
The US has accused Iran-backed militias of targeting US interests by attacking military bases housing Americans and diplomatic missions.
Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi condemned the attack in a statement, asserting Iraq's commitment to protecting diplomatic missions in the country.
 

• MENA