The US embᴀssy in the Iraqi capital Baghdad was hit in a missile attack on Saturday, causing smoke to rise from the building, Iraqi security sources said.

They did not have further details on the ‌strike.

Earlier, an airstrike hit a house in Baghdad, killing at least one person, according to a security official and another affiliated with the Iranian-backed armed groups in the country.

The strike in Baghdad’s Karrada district also wounded two people, they said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak to the press.

In a statement, the Iraqi military condemned the strike as “a blatant violation of all humanitarian values and a disregard for international conventions.”

The Israeli military said on Monday it had begun what it described as “limited ground operations” against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.

The military said in a statement that in recent days, Israeli army “troops from the 91st division have begun limited and targeted ground operations against key Hezbollah strongholds in southern Lebanon, aimed at enhancing the forward defense area”.

“This activity is part of broader defensive efforts to establish and strengthen a forward defensive posture, which includes the dismantling of terrorist infrastructure and the elimination of terrorists operating in the area, in order to remove threats and create an additional layer of security for residents of northern Israel,” it said.

“Prior to the troops’ entry into the area,” the Israeli army “conducted strikes using both artillery and the Israeli Air Force against numerous terrorist targets in order to mitigate threats in the operational environment.”

Lebanon was dragged into the Middle East war on March 2 when Iran-backed Hezbollah attacked Israel in response to the killing of Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei in US-Israeli strikes, with Israel launching air raids on the neighboring country and troop incursions into border areas.

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon said its peacekeepers were fired upon three times on Sunday, “likely by non-state armed groups” in the country’s south.

The incident came two days after a different UN position was hit by fire that official Lebanese media blamed on Israel, with UNIFIL saying it was investigating.

“Today, UNIFIL peacekeepers were fired upon, likely by non-state armed groups, on three separate occasions while conducting patrols around their bases” in south Lebanon, the force said in a statement.

In one of the locations, the fire struck “as close as five meters from the peacekeepers”, it added.

“Two patrols returned fire in self-defense and after brief exchanges, the patrols resumed their planned activities. No peacekeeper was injured,” the statement said.

“We strongly remind all actors of their obligations under international law to ensure the safety and security of UN personnel at all times.”

Lebanon was drawn into the broader Middle East war on March 2, when the Tehran-backed group Hezbollah attacked Israel in retaliation for the killing of Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei in US-Israeli strikes.

Israel has since launched waves of air strikes on its northern neighbor and deployed troop into border areas, while Hezbollah has launched rockets and missiles towards Israeli territory and troops.

Lebanese state media said that Israeli fire hit a UNIFIL base in southern Lebanon on Friday.

UNIFIL spokesperson Kandice Ardiel said the position was hit “likely by heavy machine gun fire”, without identifying the source, and said an investigation had been launched into the incident, which left one peacekeeper lightly wounded.

Earlier this month, three peacekeepers serving with a Ghanaian contingent were wounded in south Lebanon, with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun accusing Israel of being responsible and UNIFIL saying it would investigate.

On Saturday, during a visit to Beirut, UN chief Antonio Guterres said attacks against peacekeepers and their positions were “completely unacceptable and… may consтιтute war crimes”.

UNIFIL has acted as a buffer between Israel and Lebanon since 1978. Its mission concludes at the end of this year.