US troops targeted in Iraq rocket attacks escape unharmed

US troops stationed at two bases in Iraq have been targeted with rocket attacks that caused no casualties, US and Iraqi military sources said say, against the backdrop of the Israel-Hamas war.

Armed factions close to Iran have threatened to attack US interests in Iraq over Washington’s support for Israel since the Hamas onslaught.

“We can confirm a rocket attack on US and coalition forces at the Baghdad diplomatic support centre, near the Baghdad international airport, occurred Friday at approximately 2:50 am” (2350 GMT Thursday), a Pentagon official says.

“Initial assessments indicate two rockets were fired. One was intercepted by a counter-rocket system and the other impacted an empty storage facility. There were no casualties reported,” the official says, speaking on condition of anonymity.

An Iraqi security official had earlier told AFP that three Katyusha rockets struck near a base of the international coalition close to Baghdad airport.

An Iraqi military source says there were no casualties in the attack and material damage was “being assessed.”

There are no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.