‘Death to America’: Pro-Iran Mob Attacks U.S. Embassy in Iraq

A mob attacked the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad on Tuesday, prompting some embassy staff to evacuate. The mob was angered by last weekend’s U.S. airstrikes against the Iran-backed Shiite militia Kataib Hezbollah (KH), which killed an American civilian contractor in a rocket attack last week.

President Donald Trump said on Tuesday morning that Iran “orchestrated” the embassy attack and would be “held fully responsible.”

Iran killed an American contractor, wounding many. We strongly responded, and always will. Now Iran is orchestrating an attack on the U.S. Embassy in Iraq. They will be held fully responsible. In addition, we expect Iraq to use its forces to protect the Embassy, and so notified!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 31, 2019

Taliban vows to respond after alleged Pakistani strikes rock Afghanistan overnight

Trump Admin to Begin ‘Comprehensive Review’ of Every Refugee Admitted to US Under Biden

Trump, Duffy slam Pritzker’s ‘soft-on-crime policies’ after Chicago woman set on fire on train

Missing Virginia high school coach investigated for child porn and soliciting a minor, police say

Fox News Politics Newsletter: Former Army captain warns Dems’ ‘unpatriotic’ video could spark chaos

‘World’s Strongest Woman’ Winner Disqualified After Being Found to Be a Man

Trump calls Chicago ‘out of control’ after train attack left woman critically burned

Driver of stolen car rolls into oncoming traffic on Colorado highway killing 5, including 3 children

Father of cheerleader who died on Carnival cruise subpoenaed to testify in custody case

Report: The FBI Has the ‘Seditious Six’ in Its Sights, Is Pursuing Interviews with Each Lawmaker

DHS torches ‘bamboozled’ Dems for calling ICE crackdown ‘vicious lies’

Trump can’t resist Biden autopen dig as he declares last year’s Thanksgiving turkey pardons invalid

Hegseth rips Mark Kelly’s post about his service: ‘You can’t even display your uniform correctly’

Mark Kelly and Democrats turn ‘seditious six’ accusations into fundraising boon

Pete Hegseth Torches Sen. Mark Kelly After Spotting a Problem with His Uniform

The mob grew into thousands of people, led by openly identified KH supporters, some of them wearing uniforms and waving militia flags. The attack began after a funeral service for the 25 KH fighters killed by the U.S. airstrikes. Demonstrators marched through the streets of Baghdad carrying photos of the slain KH members and Iraq’s top Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, who condemned the American airstrikes.

KH vowed to seek revenge for the airstrikes on Monday. Both KH and the Iranian military unit that supports it, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), have been designated as terrorist organizations by the U.S. government. The government of Saudi Arabia also described KH as one of several “terrorist militias supported by the Iranian establishment” in remarks on Tuesday condemning the assault on the U.S. embassy.

The attackers were able to smash open a gate and push into the embassy compound, lighting fires, smashing cameras, and painting messages such as “Closed in the name of resistance” on the walls. Gunshots were reportedly heard near the embassy, while tear gas and stun grenades were deployed by its defenders.

A uniformed militia fighter on the scene in Baghdad told Kurdish news service Rudaw that attacks were also planned against the U.S. consulates in Erbil and Basra, with the goal of destroying the consulates and killing everyone inside.

“This is a letter to Trump and the American embassy in Baghdad and its consulate in Erbil and in Basra,” he said. “Those who have attacked our forces and our Jihadi brothers… God willing, if this fire reaches inside of the embassy, we will not spare a single employee. We are the children of the martyrs and this is our statement, death to America.”