Missile strikes helipad inside US Embassy compound in Baghdad

A missile struck a helipad inside the heavily fortified US Embassy compound in Baghdad on the morning of Saturday, 14 March, Iraqi security officials said, in the latest escalation of attacks against American facilities in the region amid the widening conflict involving Iran.

Two Iraqi security officials confirmed the strike, while footage filmed by the Associated Press showed a column of smoke rising above the sprawling diplomatic complex in the Iraqi capital.

There was no immediate statement from the US Embassy in Baghdad regarding the extent of damage or whether anyone had been injured.

The attack occurred just a day after the embassy renewed its highest security warning for Iraq. On Friday, the mission issued a Level 4 advisory cautioning that Iran and Iran-aligned militia groups have previously targeted US citizens, infrastructure and interests in the region and “may continue to target them.”

The US Embassy compound in Baghdad — one of the largest diplomatic facilities in the world — sits within the fortified Green Zone and has long been a focal point for attacks by Iran-backed militias. The complex has repeatedly been targeted by rockets and drones in previous years, reflecting the deep tensions between Washington and Tehran and the presence of US forces in Iraq.

Saturday’s strike comes against the backdrop of an intensifying regional war that has already inflicted mounting losses on American forces.

Earlier this week, the US military confirmed that six crew members aboard a KC-135 aerial refuelling aircraft were killed when the plane crashed in Iraq during operations linked to the conflict with Iran. The incident pushed the number of confirmed US military deaths in the campaign to at least 13 service members.

The tanker crash followed a series of other costly setbacks. In one of the most serious incidents since the conflict began, three US fighter jets were mistakenly shot down by friendly Kuwaiti air defences while operating in the region, according to American officials.

In addition to aircraft losses, US military installations across Iraq and the Gulf have been repeatedly targeted by missiles, drones and rockets launched by Iran-backed militias and other armed groups aligned with Tehran.

American naval forces have also faced escalating threats at sea. US destroyers operating in the region have intercepted several Iranian missiles and drones in recent weeks, including one ballistic missile shot down over Turkiye during an attempted attack.

Security analysts say the strike inside the Baghdad embassy compound highlights the vulnerability of US facilities across the Middle East as the conflict expands beyond direct fighting between Iran and Israel.

The Baghdad embassy — a massive complex covering roughly 104 acres — functions not only as a diplomatic mission but also as a key hub for US political, intelligence and military coordination in Iraq.

Attacks against it have historically carried symbolic and strategic significance. During previous periods of tension with Iran, militias aligned with Tehran have launched rocket barrages against the compound to signal their ability to challenge US presence in the region.

The latest strike underscores how the war is increasingly spilling across multiple fronts, with US forces, bases and diplomatic sites becoming frequent targets as hostilities deepen across West Asia.

With AP/PTI inputs