Drones hit near Iraq’s Erbil

Arbil, Iraq: Three explosives-laden drones hit near the northern Iraqi city of Arbil, where the United States has a consulate, Iraqi Kurdish officials said on Saturday.

The attack came as the Hashed al-Shaabi, a pro-Iran paramilitary alliance opposed to the US presence in Iraq, held a military parade near Baghdad attended by senior officials.

The drone attack occurred overnight, the anti-terrorist unit in Kurdistan said, with two striking a house and causing damage while the payload on the third did not explode. The US consulate condemned the assault in a tweet, saying "this attack represents a clear violation of Iraqi sovereignty". US interests in Iraq have come under repeated attack in recent months but the use of drones is a relatively new tactic.

The US consistently blames Iran-linked Iraqi factions for rocket and other attacks against Iraqi installations housing its personnel.