Just a couple of weeks from the anniversary of the US assassination of Gen. Qassem Soleimani, Iraq is on high alert, and eight missiles were fired into the Green Zone, hitting a residential complex at the US Embassy.
One Iraqi was wounded in the strike, and damage was done to the building. Iraq blamed the attack on a banned group. Speculation is that this is Asaib al-Ahl Haq, which has rejected Iranian calls to stop firing rockets at US targets.
The rocket fire is ongoing retaliation for the US assassination, and with the one-year anniversary on the horizon, more attacks are expected. Iran has publicly tried to warn militias away from this, not wanting a war to break out.
The concern here is that the Trump Administration is keen for a last minute war with Iran, and could use the militias as an excuse to start one. Iran has hopes for better diplomatic prospects with the Biden Administration, and wants to avoid these sorts of confrontations.
The US has been reducing personnel at the embassy, expecting something like this, and is threatening to close the embassy outright if Iraq doesn’t do something.
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