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Al-Arabiya sources reported that the commander of the United States Central Command in the Middle East, General Frank MacKenzie, told the Iraqi Army Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Abdul Amir Yarallah, that Washington would not be silent if its interests were seen. threatened.
Sources also reported that MacKenzie assured Yarallah during their meeting in Iraq that the missile attacks on the US embassy and coalition forces were caused by the factions’ indifference to the threats.
Later, AFP quoted McKinsey as saying his country was “ready to respond” should Iran attack it on the first anniversary of the assassination of Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani.
“We are ready to defend ourselves and our friends and allies in the region, and we are ready to respond if necessary,” the commander of the US Central Command (Santecom) told a limited number of journalists.
“I see that we are in a very good position and that we will be prepared, whatever the Iranians and their allies decide to do,” he added by phone from an unspecified location in the region.
The commander of “Santecom” confirmed that he visited Baghdad, where he met with the commander of the international coalition forces, US General Paul Calvert, and the Iraqi army chief of staff, Lieutenant General Abdul Amir Yar Allah.
He reported that he had also visited Syria to meet with US forces at the Al-Tanf base (south) located in the border triangle with Jordan and Iraq.
This tour was not announced in advance, which is an indication that US officials fear Iran will retaliate against the prominent general, Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in a raid by a US drone near the Baghdad airport on January 3. 2020.
Qassem Soleimani
Katyusha attack
In addition, the vicinity of the US embassy in Baghdad witnessed a violent attack on Sunday night, with several Katyusha rockets.
An Iraqi army spokesman said after the attack: “Criminal gangs renewed their missile attacks on civilian facilities and homes in Baghdad’s Green Zone on Sunday night, damaging several residential buildings and cars and terrorizing the population”.
The spokesperson added in a statement that these criminal acts are aimed at the citizen and their safety and seek to undermine the prestige of the State and destabilize the situation.
Embassy regulations respond
For its part, the US embassy confirmed that the missiles targeting the Green Zone provoked a response from the embassy’s defense systems, pointing to minor damage to the embassy compound, but there were no injuries or casualties.
The U.S. embassy in Baghdad
“We have received reports of damage in residential areas near the US embassy and the possibility of some injuries among innocent Iraqi civilians,” he added.
The US embassy considered that “these types of attacks on diplomatic facilities are a violation of international law and a direct assault on the sovereignty of the Iraqi government,” and called on all Iraqi political and government leaders to take steps to prevent such attacks. attacks and hold those responsible accountable.
Consecutive attacks
It is noteworthy that for months the Green Zone, which includes the United States embassy in Baghdad, as well as the military bases that house coalition forces and convoys carrying logistics equipment belonging to it, has been the target of missile attacks. and IED attacks.
Washington accuses Iranian militias in Iraq of being behind the missile attacks on the Iraqi embassy and military bases that house US soldiers.
Iranian militias in Iraq carried out missile strikes over the recent period, but tensions rose particularly after the assassination of Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhri Zadeh last month, in addition to coinciding with the anniversary of the assassination of the Revolutionary Guard commander. Iranian Qassem Soleimani in early January after a US attack. .
