CNN –
The US has shot down two disposable attack drones that targeted US forces in Iraq, according to a defense official, as American embassies in several Middle Eastern countries face protests over the Gaza war.
There were no injuries caused by the drone attack, the official said.
It is currently unclear who launched the drones and how they were shot down, but such attacks are often attributed to Iran or Iran-backed militias in the region.
Tensions in the region following a week-long war in Gaza and an explosion at a Gaza hospital that Palestinian officials said killed hundreds of civilians have sparked widespread outrage against both Israel and the United States.
Anti-Israel protests broke out in Lebanon, Iraq, Jordan, Iran and Turkey, as well as in Ramallah in the West Bank, following the explosion at Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza, which killed hundreds of people. In Baghdad, security officials told CNN that security forces confronted protesters trying to cross the bridge into the Green Zone, where the US Embassy and Iraqi government offices are located.
Attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq have become increasingly rare, particularly since the U.S. ended its combat mission in Iraq and shifted to an advisory and support role for the Iraqi military.
But attacks happen. In September last year, a US F-15 fighter jet was sent to shoot down an Iranian drone that appeared to be heading towards a US position in Erbil, Iraq.