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Iranian missile and drone strikes targeted northern Iraq on Sunday, focusing on areas where US troops are deployed, as protests swept through Baghdad over the killing of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Khamenei was killed on Saturday during a wave of strikes launched by the United States and Israel against the Islamic Republic.
At least two drones were intercepted by US defence systems over Erbil, the capital of Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region, which hosts US-led coalition forces. Explosions were heard, and smoke was seen rising near the US consulate and the airport, where American troops are stationed.
Earlier, Iran’s army announced it had targeted US bases in Iraq’s Kurdistan region. A pro-Iran Iraqi armed group also claimed responsibility for drone attacks in the area. Local authorities reported that US-led coalition forces downed several missiles and explosive-laden drones over Erbil on Saturday.
Iraq, which has long been a proxy battleground between Washington and Tehran, warned that it does not want to be dragged into the escalating conflict. However, several Iran-backed Iraqi armed groups declared they would not remain “neutral.”
The powerful militia Kataeb Hezbollah said it would attack US bases after two of its fighters were reportedly killed in air strikes in southern Iraq. Pro-Iran groups later claimed they had launched dozens of drones at what they described as “enemy bases in Iraq and the region.”
The US embassy in Iraq urged its citizens to limit movement and be prepared to shelter due to reports of missiles, drones, and rockets in Iraqi airspace.
In Baghdad, hundreds of protesters, many dressed in black and wearing masks, attempted to storm the heavily fortified Green Zone to reach the US embassy. They chanted “for you Khamenei” and threw stones at security forces, who responded with tear gas.
A protest leader, Abou Ali al-Kanani, demanded the expulsion of American forces and the closure of what he called the “embassy of evil,” accusing the US of killing Khamenei.
Baghdad has announced a three-day mourning period for Khamenei, reflecting the deep political and religious ties between Iraq and Iran.
