US embassy staff in Baghdad evacuated amid protests over American strikes

The staff of the US embassy here on Tuesday was evacuated from the building amid protests outside the embassy over American strikes in Iraq and Syria on Hezbollah targets, Sputnik reported.

Numerous Iraqi citizens have gathered outside the embassy premises.

The strikes were made through Air Force F-15E fighter planes. Jonathan Hoffman, the chief Pentagon spokesman said that the targets included weapons storage facilities and command posts of Hezbollah that were used to attack American and partner forces and that they were carried out in retaliation to a rocket attack on Friday in which an American contractor was killed.

At least 24 people were killed and more than 50 wounded in the strikes.

Iraqis, who earlier attended the funerals of those killed in the military strikes, are burning American flags and shouting "Down, down, USA" and "Death to America".

Pentagon on Sunday said that it had struck three locations in Iraq and two in Syria controlled by Kataib Hezbollah.