President Donald Trump on Wednesday vowed to hold Iran responsible if "one American is killed" following rocket attacks Sunday against the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq.
Trump posted a tweet thread that included what he claimed were three rockets that failed to launch.
"Some friendly health advice to Iran: If one American is killed, I will hold Iran responsible. Think it over," Trump tweeted.
Eight rockets targeted the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone late Sunday, Iraq's military and Iraqi officials said, sparking fears of renewed unrest as next month's anniversary of the U.S. slaying of an Iranian general draws near.
TEGNA could not immediately confirm the authenticity of the image.
An Iraqi military statement said an “an outlawed group” launched eight rockets targeting the Green Zone, injuring one Iraqi security person manning a checkpoint and causing material damage to a residential complex and some cars. The residential complex is usually empty.
The U.S. Embassy's C-RAM defense system, which is used to destroy missiles in mid-air, was activated to deflect the attack, the embassy said in a statement.
The U.S. withdrew some staff from its embassy in Baghdad earlier this month, temporarily reducing personnel ahead of the first anniversary of the U.S. airstrike that killed Iran’s top general, Qassim Soleimani, outside Baghdad's airport on Jan. 3. American officials said the staff reduction stemmed from concerns about a possible retaliatory strike.
Soleimani's killing sparked outrage and led Iraq’s parliament to pass a non-binding resolution days later calling for the expulsion of all foreign troops from Iraq.
The frequency of rocket attacks in Iraq has frustrated the Trump administration. Iran-backed militia groups have been blamed for orchestrating the attacks.
In September, Washington warned Iraq that it will close its embassy in Baghdad if the government fails to take decisive action to end rocket and other attacks by Iranian-backed militias on American and allied interests in the country.
The partial withdrawal from the embassy came amid a drawdown of American troops from Iraq and Afghanistan announced by the outgoing Trump administration last month. In Iraq, the U.S. plans to reduce the number of troops from 3,000 to 2,500 by mid-January, before Trump is to leave office.
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Associated Press writer Murtada Faraj contributed to this report.