Rockets hit near US embassy in Iraq as tensions flare

BAGHDAD, IRAQ - A volley of rockets exploded near the US embassy in Baghdad Sunday, as tensions mount ahead of the anniversary of the US killing top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani on Iraqi soil. Iraqi security officials told AP on condition of anonymity that the embassy’s C-RAM defense system shot down the rockets mid-air causing damage to a residential complex and parked cars. There were no reports of casualties. “The US Embassy confirms rockets targeting the International Zone (Green Zone) resulted in the engagement of embassy defensive systems,“ a statement released by the embassy said, adding that the compound suffered some minor damage. “We call on all Iraqi political and governmental leaders to take steps to prevent such attacks and hold accountable those responsible,’’ the statement said. Explosions heard across Baghdad Joyce Karam, correspondent for The National, shared a video of the rockets being intercepted on Twitter and wrote that the embassy had been “targeted with barrage of Katyusha Rocke