The United States has ordered all its embassies and other diplomatic posts to review their “security posture” after a compound in Baghdad was struck as the Iran war rages, according to a new report.
In an internal message sent Tuesday, which was reviewed by The Washington Post, the State Department ordered its diplomatic posts all over the world to gather Emergency Action Committees and review security due to “the ongoing and developing situation in the Middle East and the potential for spill-over effects.”
At least three drones targeted the US embassy in Iraq’s capital Tuesday, according to the Associated Press. Two of the drones were intercepted, but a third crashed inside the embassy compound, two Iraqi security officials told the AP.
The State Department told the AP no American staff at the embassy or the consulate in Irbil have been killed or injured in recent attacks on the posts.
American diplomatic posts have been targeted since the U.S. and Israel began their military strikes on Iran more than two weeks ago.
Militia groups in the region were estimated to have carried out at least 292 attacks on U.S. facilities since February 28, one State Department internal message sent Monday said, according to The Washington Post.
A State Department spokesperson would not confirm The Washington Post’s reporting, telling The Independent it does not comment on internal communications for the safety of US personnel and facilities.
The spokesperson said every embassy in the Middle East convened Emergency Action Committees before the U.S began striking Iran, and the EACs have continued to convene during the military campaign.
The assembly of EACs is determined by a number of operational considerations and does not necessarily mean there is a specific threat, according to the spokesperson.
The U.S. military has struck more than 7,000 targets in its war against Iran, which it has dubbed “Operation Epic Fury,” according to U.S. Central Command. More than 1,300 people have been killed in Iran during the war, the Associated Press reported, citing the humanitarian network, the Iranian Red Crescent.
At least 13 U.S. service members have been killed in the war, and another 200 have been injured, according to the Pentagon. The vast majority of the injuries have been minor, and more than 180 members have returned to duty, U.S. Central Command told several outlets.
