BEIRUT, LEBANON (2:20 P.M.) – The U.S. military’s Patriot System was put to use last night when it intercepted a rocket that was fired towards the American embassy in Baghdad.
According to reports from Baghdad, the U.S. Patriot System intercepted the Katyusha rocket before it reached the American embassy, marking the first time since its deployment that it was used to ward off an attack on the diplomatic mission.
The Iraqi security media cell in Iraq announced that a child was wounded by a missile that landed on his house near the Green Zone in Baghdad, which includes government headquarters and diplomatic missions.
The cell said in a press statement, “A Katyusha missile was launched from the Ali Al-Saleh area, north of Baghdad, towards the Green Zone, where it landed next to a house next to the green one, which resulted in the injury of a child and damage to the house.”
“At the same time, our forces were able to thwart another attack in the Umm al-Azam area and also control a Katyusha missile and the launching base, and it was found that this missile was aimed at the Taji camp north of the capital.”
Prior to last night’s attack, the U.S and Iraqi forces had conducted exercises to simulate a potential rocket attack on Baghdad’s Green Zone.
These exercises appeared to pay off as the U.S. and Iraqi forces were able to successfully intercept the rocket.
The U.S. and Iraqi forces have been trying to crackdown on these rocket attacks for quite some time, but previous deterrent strikes against the Iranian-backed groups by the American forces only increased tensions and violence.
The Iraqi security forces took matters into their own hands last week when they arrested several members of Kataeb Hezbollah; however, they later released the members after raiding their headquarters in Baghdad.
The arrests caused some friction between the Popular Mobilization Units (Hashd Al-Sha’abi) and the government, especially the office of the Iraqi Prime Minister, who some accused of being in the U.S. camp.
Source: RT Arabic
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