Drone attack targets hotel in fortified Baghdad district video

A drone struck the Al-Rasheed Hotel in Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone early Tuesday, according to Iraqi authorities, with no casualties or major damage reported.

Footage circulating on social media and geolocated and verified by Reuters showed smoke and flames rising from the area above the hotel following the impact. CNN also reported on the incident, citing the verified video.

The Al-Rasheed Hotel is situated in the heavily secured Green Zone, which hosts key government institutions and diplomatic compounds, including the US Embassy.

Iraq’s Interior Ministry confirmed that a drone crashed into the hotel in the early morning hours. In an official statement, the ministry said that specialised investigative teams had inspected the site and carried out a technical assessment.

“The Ministry of Interior would like to clarify that after specialised investigative teams conducted an inspection of the scene and a technical examination, it was determined that the drone struck the upper part of the hotel’s fence, but this did not result in any human casualties or significant material damage,” the statement said.

The incident comes amid broader security concerns in Iraq. Earlier, Sabah al-Numan, spokesperson for the commander-in-chief of the Iraqi armed forces, said that the US Embassy headquarters in Baghdad, as well as the Al-Rashid and Majnoon oil fields in southern Iraq, had been subjected to attacks.

Authorities have not yet identified those responsible for the drone strike on the hotel, and investigations are ongoing.

By Tamilla Hasanova