US Base In Iraq Hit By Drone Strike As Iran War Spreads To Neighbouring Countries | Watch

Last Updated:March 15, 2026, 08:21 IST

The US Embassy in Baghdad was also attacked as the war with Iran entered its third week on Saturday. The war in Iran has clearly spread into Iraq.

A United States base in Iraq was attacked by FPV drones in an unprecedented strike. According to reports, the drones flew over the base without being challenged and bombed a building.

The US Embassy in Baghdad was also attacked as the war with Iran entered its third week on Saturday. The war in Iran has clearly spread into Iraq. In recent days, Iran-aligned militias have carried out more than 200 attacks on American, Emirati, French and Kurdish diplomatic, civilian and military facilities.

The conflict began on February 28 when the United States and Israel launched airstrikes on Iran. Since then, militias have claimed responsibility for attacks on a US military base and a consulate in the northern city of Erbil, in addition to the American Embassy in Baghdad.

On Saturday, the embassy told all American citizens to leave Iraq immediately. The warning marked a sharp shift from advice issued only 24 hours earlier, when Americans were told to keep a “low profile" but were not asked to evacuate.

Warning over Iran-aligned militias

The embassy warning said “Iran and its aligned militias" pose a “major threat to public safety in Iraq." It followed several attacks by Iran-aligned militias on civilian facilities and government buildings owned by the United States and its regional allies.

The previous night, the US Embassy in Baghdad was attacked for the second time in two weeks. Iran-backed militia group Kataib Hezbollah claimed responsibility.

Growing concerns in Washington

Experts say the change in tone reflects rising American concern about Iran-aligned armed groups in Iraq. They appear to be trying to open another front for the United States in the Middle East.

“This is a dramatic tightening of American concern," said James F Jeffrey, a former US ambassador to Iraq. “This is a real concern about losing people, but it is also in line with a larger policy that has recently been accelerated to get the Iraqi government to rein in the militias."

Pressure on Iraq’s government

There are signs the United States has been pressuring Iraq’s government to dismantle the militias. During a phone call this week, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani to take steps to protect US diplomatic personnel and buildings from militia attacks, according to the State Department.

At the same time, Iraqi officials have expressed anger over recent attacks on bases of the Popular Mobilization Forces, a group of former militias that now operates under government control. Some units maintain ties with Iran-aligned militias outside the government.

Iraqi security officials blamed the United States for those attacks. The US military has declined to comment on the allegations.

Iran-linked militia bases outside government control have also been struck in what the groups described as American or Israeli attacks. US officials say Iran and its proxies are targeting American interests, putting US citizens in Iraq at risk.

Other countries have also been affected. Last week, a drone struck the United Arab Emirates Consulate General in Iraq’s Kurdistan region. The Kurdistan regional government blamed militias and called on Iraq’s government to set clear limits on “outlaw forces, groups and militias." A French soldier was also killed in Iraq’s Kurdistan region this week after his military base came under a drone attack. It is still unclear who carried out that attack, but the French president said an investigation is underway.

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