The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad came under attack Saturday morning, with a strike hitting the compound’s helipad and damaging its air defense system. The State Department immediately ordered all American citizens to leave Iraq.
Iraqi security officials confirmed the attack landed inside the embassy compound within Baghdad’s International Zone, also known as the Green Zone, the fortified district housing government buildings and foreign diplomatic missions.
Officials said a drone struck the compound. Video circulating on social media showed black smoke rising from the facility, and a separate Iraqi security source said the strike destroyed part of the embassy’s air defense system.
Footage shows smoke rising in Baghdad, reportedly from the US Embassy compound. A security source told AFP the attack was carried out by a drone. pic.twitter.com/XzpdAW2J12
— Rudaw English (@RudawEnglish) March 14, 2026
Hours after the attack, the U.S. Embassy issued an updated security alert warning Americans to “leave Iraq now.”
Security Alert – U.S. Embassy Baghdad, Iraq – March 14, 2026
Location: IraqUpdates noted in bold.
Iran-aligned terrorist militias have encouraged and conducted indiscriminate attacks on U.S. citizens and targets associated with the United States throughout Iraq, including…
— U.S. Embassy Baghdad (@USEmbBaghdad) March 14, 2026
“Iran-aligned terrorist militias have repeatedly attacked the International Zone in central Baghdad,” the embassy stated on X. “Do not attempt to come to the embassy in Baghdad or the consulate general in Erbil in light of the ongoing risk of missiles, drones, and rockets in Iraqi airspace.”
Iraqi airspace remains closed, forcing departing Americans to travel overland through Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, or Turkey. This marks the second attack on the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad since the war with Iran began on February 28.
The embassy attack followed two strikes earlier Saturday that killed three members of Kataib Hezbollah, an Iran-backed militia integrated into Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF). The first strike hit a residence in Baghdad’s Arasat neighborhood, killing commander Abu Ali al-Amiri and two other fighters. Kataib Hezbollah held funeral processions in Baghdad and Najaf later that day.
Tehran-backed armed groups operating under the Islamic Resistance in Iraq umbrella have claimed daily drone and rocket attacks against U.S. bases in the region since the conflict began.
