Missiles target US consulate in North Iraq, no casualties

As many as 12 missiles were fired Sunday toward the U.S. consulate in Iraq’s northern city of Irbil, Iraqi security officials said. A U.S. defense official said missiles had been launched at the city from neighboring Iran. A second U.S. official said there was no damage and no casualties at any U.S. government facility, but Iraqi officials said several missiles had hit the U.S. consulate. The consulate building is new and currently unoccupied. The U.S. defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because information was still coming in, said it was still not certain exactly how many missiles were fired and exactly where they landed. The Iraqi security officials said there were no immediate report of casualties from the attack, which occurred shortly after midnight and caused material damage in the area.

One of the Iraqi officials said the ballistic missiles were fired from Iran, without elaborating. The U.S. officials could not confirm the type of missile. The attack came several days after an Israeli strike near Damascus, Syria, killed two members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard. Iran's foreign ministry strongly condemned the attack Wednesday and vowed revenge. The attack comes as negotiations in Vienna over Tehran’s tattered nuclear deal hit a “pause” over Russian demands about sanctions targeting Moscow over its war on Ukraine.