Official: US Forces Accounted for after Reported Rocket Attack in Baghdad

US vehicles are seen in Ain al-Asad airbase in Anbar, Iraq. Reuters file photo
US vehicles are seen in Ain al-Asad airbase in Anbar, Iraq. Reuters file photo
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Official: US Forces Accounted for after Reported Rocket Attack in Baghdad

US vehicles are seen in Ain al-Asad airbase in Anbar, Iraq. Reuters file photo
US vehicles are seen in Ain al-Asad airbase in Anbar, Iraq. Reuters file photo

Multiple Katyusha rockets were fired near Baghdad International Airport, two Iraqi military officials told Reuters early on Tuesday, but a US official disputed reports that US military forces were targeted in the incident.

"All military personnel are accounted for and military forces were not targeted as had been reported," the US defense official told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The incident was a reminder of the soaring tensions in the Middle East, as speculation swirled about whether Iran and Iran-backed groups would make good on threats to retaliate after a series of Israeli major blows against Lebanon's Hezbollah.

Two Iraqi security sources said an initial investigation showed three rockets were fired, including one that landed near buildings used by Iraqi counter-terrorism forces, causing damages and fire to some vehicles but no casualties.

The sources had previously said at least two Katyusha rockets were also fired at a military base hosting US forces and that air defenses intercepted the rockets.

But the US official said Washington was aware of reports of an attack instead on the Baghdad Diplomatic Support Complex, which is a Department of State facility.

"For details about the incident we refer you to the State Department," the official said.

A US Department of State is assessing the damage caused by the attack, according to a spokesperson, who said there were no casualties.



Netanyahu Says Israel Will Continue to Act Against the Houthis

FILE - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a news conference in Jerusalem, on Sept. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg, Pool, File)
FILE - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a news conference in Jerusalem, on Sept. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg, Pool, File)
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Netanyahu Says Israel Will Continue to Act Against the Houthis

FILE - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a news conference in Jerusalem, on Sept. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg, Pool, File)
FILE - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a news conference in Jerusalem, on Sept. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg, Pool, File)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday Israel would continue acting against the Houthi militias in Yemen, whom he accused of threatening world shipping and the international order, and called on Israelis to be steadfast.
"Just as we acted forcefully against the terrorist arms of Iran's axis of evil, so we will act against the Houthis," he said in a video statement a day after a missile fired from Yemen fell in the Tel Aviv area, causing a number of mild injuries.

The US military said it conducted precision airstrikes on Saturday against a missile storage facility and a command-and-control facility operated by Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen's capital, Sanaa.

In a statement, the US military's Central Command said the strikes aimed to "disrupt and degrade Houthi operations, such as attacks against US Navy warships and merchant vessels in the Southern Red Sea, Bab al-Mandeb, and Gulf of Aden.”

The US military also said it struck multiple Houthi one-way drones and an anti-ship cruise missile over the Red Sea.

Saturday's strike followed a similar attack last week by US aircraft against a command and control facility operated by the Houthis.

On Thursday, Israel launched strikes against ports and energy infrastructure in Houthi-held parts of Yemen and threatened more attacks against the group, which has launched hundreds of missiles at Israel over the past year.