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.



Israeli Bombardment Kills at Least 21 in Gaza as Fighting Rages

A relative mourns over the bodies of Palestinians from the al-Durrah family, who were killed in an Israeli strike, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, October 1, 2024. (Reuters)
A relative mourns over the bodies of Palestinians from the al-Durrah family, who were killed in an Israeli strike, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, October 1, 2024. (Reuters)
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Israeli Bombardment Kills at Least 21 in Gaza as Fighting Rages

A relative mourns over the bodies of Palestinians from the al-Durrah family, who were killed in an Israeli strike, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, October 1, 2024. (Reuters)
A relative mourns over the bodies of Palestinians from the al-Durrah family, who were killed in an Israeli strike, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, October 1, 2024. (Reuters)

Israeli airstrikes killed at least 21 people in Gaza on Tuesday, local medics said and fighting ramped up, as the Israeli military said it had been targeting command centers used by its foe Hamas.

Palestinian health officials said at least 13 people, including women and children, were killed in two Israeli strikes on two houses in Nuseirat, one of the enclave's eight historic refugee camps.

There has been no immediate comment by the Israeli army on the two strikes.

Another strike on a school sheltering displaced Palestinian families in the Tuffah neighborhood of Gaza City killed at least seven people, medics added.

The Israeli military said in a statement the air strike targeted Hamas fighters operating from a command center embedded in a compound that had previously served as Al-Shejaia School.

It accused Hamas of using the civilian population and facilities for military purposes, which Hamas denies.

The armed wings of Hamas, the Islamic Jihad, and other smaller armed factions said in separate statements that their fighters attacked Israeli forces operating in several areas of Gaza with anti-tank rockets, mortar fire, and explosive devices.

The renewed surge in violence in Gaza comes as Israel began a ground operation in Lebanon, saying its paratroopers and commandos were engaged in intense fighting with Iran-backed Hezbollah. The conflict follows devastating Israeli airstrikes against Hezbollah's leadership.

The operation into Lebanon represents an escalation of the conflict in the Middle East between Israel and Iran-backed militants that threatens to suck in the US and Iran.

Hezbollah began firing rockets into Israel almost a year ago, in support of its ally Hamas in the war in Gaza, which began after the group staged the deadliest assault in Israel's history on Oct. 7.

The assault, in which Israel says 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 taken hostage, triggered the war that has devastated Gaza, displacing most of its 2.3 million population and killing more than 41,600 people, according to Gaza health authorities.

Some Palestinians said they feared that Israel's shift in focus to Lebanon could prolong the conflict in Gaza, which marks its first anniversary next week.

"The eyes of the world now are on Lebanon while the occupation continues its killing in Gaza. We are afraid the war is going to go on for more months at least," said Samir Mohammed, 46, a father of five from Gaza City.

"It is all unclear now as Israel unleashes its force undeterred in Gaza, Yemen, Syria, Lebanon, and God knows where else in the future," he told Reuters via a chat app.