Drone directly hits US Embassy Baghdad — second attack on embassy in hours, security fence breached

A drone struck the US Embassy compound in Baghdad in the early hours of March 18, the second attack on the facility within hours. A security source told AFP that 'a drone directly hit the embassy,' while a second security official specified the drone fell 'near the embassy's security fence.' An AFP journalist on the ground reported hearing an explosion. The attack followed a previous drone and rocket strike on the same facility hours earlier on Day 18. The back-to-back attacks on the largest US embassy in the world signal a sustained Iran-backed effort to force the US out of Iraq or demonstrate reach against US diplomatic infrastructure. Iraq-based Iran-backed militias, including Kataeb Hezbollah and PMF factions, have claimed operations against US assets in Iraq throughout the conflict. Iraqi security forces have struggled to intercept the low-flying drones targeting the Green Zone compound.