US Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq attacked with missile that hits helipad

The missile attack causes damage on the mission, according to sources, as smoke is seen rising from the building.Published On 14 Mar 2026The United States Embassy in the Iraqi capital Baghdad has been hit by a missile attack that caused smoke to rise from the building.An Iraqi security source told Al Jazeera on Saturday that the attack destroyed part of its air defence system, without giving further details.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Four killed in US military plane crash in Iraqlist 2 of 4Two killed in Oman by drones, several also fired at Saudi Arabialist 3 of 4Success uncertain, but Israelis continue to back ‘heroic’ war with Iranlist 4 of 4Iran war: What is happening on day 15 of US-Israel attacks?end of listA missile struck a helipad inside the US Embassy in Baghdad, two security officials told The Associated Press news agency.The projectile landed within the embassy’s boundaries in the Green Zone, the heavily fortified district in central Baghdad that houses Iraqi government institutions and foreign embassies, added the security officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity as they are not authorised to speak with the press.There was no immediate comment from the US Embassy in Baghdad.Videos posted by social media users showed smoke rising from the compound after the attack.Al Jazeera’s Mahmoud Abdelwahed, reporting from Baghdad, said there was no immediate statement on whether there were casualties or the exact extent of damage in the attack.“But we understand that Iran-aligned-armed-groups-in-Iraq" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="44096" data-entity-type="organization">Iran-aligned armed groups in Iraq have always pledged to attack US facilities, especially the embassy,” he said, adding that they want to avenge the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the former supreme leader, who was assassinated, along with family members, by a US-Israeli air strike at the beginning of this war.“In fact, yesterday, they issued a statement putting $100,000 as a reward to anyone who provides information leading to any US diplomatic personnel inside the country,” our correspondent said, adding that some of the personnel were “taking shelter in civilian houses”.Second attackIt is the second time the US Embassy has come under attack in Baghdad since the start of the war.