US President Joe Biden on Sunday strongly condemned an attack targeting the residence of Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi on Saturday night.
"I strongly condemn the terrorist attack targeting the residence of Iraqi Prime Minister al-Kadhimi. I am relieved the Prime Minister was not injured and commend the leadership he has shown in calling for calm, restraint, and dialogue to protect the institutions of the state and strengthen the democracy Iraqis so richly deserve," Biden said in a written statement quoted by Reuters.
He added that he had instructed his national security team to offer appropriate assistance to Iraqi authorities as they investigate.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, meanwhile, said on Twitter that he had spoken with al-Kadhimi.
“Spoke with Prime Minister al-Kadhimi today to reaffirm our partnership and discuss how the United States can support Iraq as it investigates the attack on the life of the Prime Minister and on Iraq’s sovereignty and stability,” he said.
The Iraqi Prime Minister survived an assassination attempt on Saturday night after armed drones targeted his residence in Baghdad.
Two Iraqi officials said seven of al-Kadhimi's security guards were injured in the attack, but the Prime Minister himself was unharmed.
Rocket attacks have regularly targeted Iraqi bases as well as the fortified Green Zone in Baghdad, where the US embassy is located, since the US elimination of top Iranian General Qassem Soleimani last January.
In late June, the US launched air strikes against three targets it said were used by pro-Iran groups in eastern Syria and western Iraq.
A day later, pro-Iranian militias fired several shells at a US base in eastern Syria's Al-Omar oil field, causing damage but no casualties.
Subsequently, a drone was intercepted and shot down near the US embassy in Baghdad. Sources said the drone failed to reach the embassy compound. There were no injuries.
Then, an explosive-laden drone attacked Erbil airport in northern Iraq. The drone reportedly targeted the US base on the airport grounds. A day later, two rockets were fired at the US embassy inside Baghdad's Green Zone.