Iran-backed terrorist militias strike US diplomatic facility in Iraq: State Department

Iran-backed terrorist militias struck a U.S. diplomatic facility in Iraq, according to the State Department.

A department spokesperson told The Hill news outlet Wednesday that the Baghdad Diplomatic Support Center was targeted overnight by “Iran-backed terrorist militias. “The United States strongly condemns these attacks on our diplomatic facilities in Iraq.” 

The spokesperson also called on the Iraqi government to “take all possible measures to safeguard U.S. diplomatic personnel and facilities and ensure that militia groups cannot use Iraqi territory to threaten the United States or the region.”

The center is a large logistical hub for American diplomats near the Baghdad airport.

Five of six drones launched toward the compound were shot down, but one hit near a guard tower at the U.S. facility, an unnamed security official told the Washington Post. The attack likely came from Iranian proxy militias operating under the umbrella of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, according to the official.

Iraq’s Ministry of Defense condemned the drone ​attack but did not mention that the U.S. facility was damaged.

A State Department alert said “accountability is ongoing,” advising people at the diplomatic facility to “duck and cover.”

The extent of the damage to the facility is unknown, but a separate alert said ​that everyone was accounted for, Reuters reported.

The State Department continues to draw down personnel in the Middle East, as eight U.S. embassies and consulates in the region are operating with reduced staffing, and the embassies in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait have fully suspended operations in response to threats from Iranian retaliation.