Tehran, March 17 — Iranian state broadcaster Press TV released a first-person-view (FPV) video on Tuesday that appears to show a drone flying over the compound of the US Embassy in Baghdad.
The footage arrived as multiple reports said drones struck or were aimed at the US Embassy and a nearby hotel early Tuesday. Video circulating online and reviewed by news outlets showed what looked like air-defence systems engaging a projectile near the embassy, CNN reported. Iraqi officials also reported an attack on the Majnoon oil field in southern Iraq, according to CNN.
In its post on X, Press TV published the FPV clip and described the drone making an unobstructed flight over the embassy compound. The outlet said the footage was released by an Iraqi resistance group and asserted the drone passed over the compound without setting off air-defence systems.
Anadolu Agency, citing a security source speaking to Shafaq news agency, said four drones attempted to strike the US Embassy. The source told Shafaq that Iraq’s air-defence forces intercepted and shot down all four before they reached their intended targets; one downed drone reportedly fell on Abu Nuwas Street and another landed near the embassy inside Baghdad’s Green Zone.
Iraq’s Ministry of Interior confirmed that a drone struck the Al-Rasheed Hotel early Tuesday local time. After forensic and technical inspections, the ministry said the device hit the hotel’s upper fence and caused no fatalities or major material damage.
CNN geolocated video footage showing an explosion close to the US Embassy and clips consistent with a drone impact in the area. Other verified clips showed air-defence fire over Baghdad at a point roughly 600 metres from the embassy compound.
Multiple explosions were reported across Baghdad. Al Jazeera, citing witnesses and security sources, said at least four people were killed in an airstrike on a building used by an Iran-backed group in the Jadiriya district. Verified footage showed smoke and flames near the embassy and additional clips showed air-defence systems intercepting several drones.
The developments came after the US Embassy and Consulate in Iraq issued a Level 4 security warning for the country on Monday.
This report is drawn from syndicated news feeds and media outlets; the original publishers are cited in the text.
