Rocket attack in Baghdad, Syria gas field shelled after Soleimani killing
By TZVI JOFFRE
Syrian regime forces and Iranian militias fired three shells at the Conoco gas field in the Deir Ezzor area of eastern Syria and two rockets were fired at the Green Zone where the US embassy is located on Sunday evening in the aftermath of the US airstrike that killed IRGC Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani, according to Arab reports.
According to Reuters, six rockets fell in and near the Green Zone in Baghdad. Several civilians in the area were injured, according to Al Arabiya.
Khazali was speaking after Iraq's parliament backed a recommendation by the prime minister to end the presence of foreign troops in response to the Soleimani attacks.
Iraqi Kataib Hezbollah Brigades warned Iraqi security forces to be at least 1,000 meters (3,280 feet) away from all American bases starting Sunday evening. The brigades cautioned Iraqi forces from serving as human shields for US forces.
The attacks came as Iranian militias and officials ratcheted up threats against American forces in the region.
3 rockets hit near US embassy in Baghdad
By TZVI JOFFRE
Syrian regime forces and Iranian militias fired three shells at the Conoco gas field in the Deir Ezzor area of eastern Syria and two rockets were fired at the Green Zone where the US embassy is located on Sunday evening in the aftermath of the US airstrike that killed IRGC Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani, according to Arab reports.
According to Reuters, six rockets fell in and near the Green Zone in Baghdad. Several civilians in the area were injured, according to Al Arabiya.
Iran-backed Iraqi militia commander Qais al-Khazali said on Sunday if US troops do not leave Iraq, they would be considered an occupying force.
Iraqi Kataib Hezbollah Brigades warned Iraqi security forces to be at least 1,000 meters (3,280 feet) away from all American bases starting Sunday evening. The brigades cautioned Iraqi forces from serving as human shields for US forces.
The shelling came after Iranian-backed militias and US forces traded blows on Saturday night, as rocket attacks targeted Baghdad's Green Zone and a base housing US forces, followed by a series of attacks on bases housing Iranian and pro-Iranian forces in Iraq and Syria.
Militias along the Iraq-Syria border have been high alert since the strike on Soleimani. An air strike reportedly struck an Iranian-militia base near the border within Syrian territory on Saturday night, according to Arab media.
3 rockets hit near US embassy in Baghdad
Three rockets landed inside the heavily fortified Green Zone in Baghdad, Iraq, home to the US Embassy and the seat of Iraq’s government, city residents said on Sunday.
Alert sirens were sounded in the area on the west bank of the Tigris River.
Police sources told Reuters that the projectiles were Katyusha rockets. Witnesses told AFP they saw two rockets hit near the US embassy.
There were some injuries to civilians, local media reported.
The attack came shortly after the deadline from a hardline pro-Iran faction for local troops to get away from US forces, following the US airstrike in Baghdad on Friday that killed top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani and a high-ranking Iraqi militia leader.
The vehemently anti-American group Kataeb Hezbollah had warned Iraqi security forces to “get away” from US troops at joint bases across Iraq by 5 p.m.
Sunday’s attack marks the 14th time rockets have been fired toward US installations in Iraq over the last two months.
Late Saturday, missiles slammed into the Baghdad enclave where the US embassy is located and an airbase north of the capital housing American troops, prompting US President Donald Trump to threaten strikes on 52 sites in Iran.
The near-simultaneous attacks seemed to be the first phase of promised retaliation for the airstrike that killed Soleimani.
While no one claimed Saturday’s attacks, Kataeb Hezbollah, which is a faction in the Hashed, a network of Shiite-majority armed groups incorporated into the state, urged Iraqis to move away from US forces.
“We ask security forces in the country to get at least 1,000 meters (3280 feet) away from US bases starting on Sunday at 5 p.m. (1400 GMT),” said Kataeb Hezbollah.
The Iraqi parliament on Sunday called for the expulsion of US troops from the country in reaction to the American drone attack on Soleimani and a number of top Iraqi officials at the Baghdad airport, raising the prospect of a withdrawal that could allow a resurgence by Islamic State extremists.
Lawmakers approved a resolution asking the Iraqi government to end the agreement under which Washington sent forces more than four years ago to help in the fight against he Islamic State group.
The bill is subject to approval by the Iraqi government. But even then, canceling the US-Iraq agreement requires giving the Americans a one-year notice for withdrawal.
But the vote was another sign of the blowback from the US airstrike Friday. The attack has dramatically escalated regional tensions and raised fears of outright war.
Amid Iran’s threats of vengeance, the US-led military coalition in Iraq announced Sunday it was putting the fight against Islamic State militants on hold to focus on protecting its troops and bases. The coalition said it is suspending the training of Iraqi forces and other operations in support of the battle against IS.
No comments:
Post a Comment