Drone attack hit UAE consulate in Iraq, injuring 2

BAGHDAD, March 14 (Xinhua) -- A drone struck the United Arab Emirates consulate in Erbil on Saturday, wounding two security guards and damaging the building, a security source said.

The attack hit the capital of Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdistan region. The Kurdistan regional presidency strongly condemned the strike.

In a separate incident, an airstrike hit the headquarters of the 52nd Brigade of Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) in Salahuddin province, killing four members and wounding three others, a provincial police source said. The strike ignited ammunition depots, triggering explosions that lasted more than two hours and caused extensive damage.

The attacks follow a wave of violence that has killed dozens of PMF members in recent days, which the group has blamed on U.S.-Israeli operations.

Saturday's incidents came amid heightened regional tensions following joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran beginning Feb. 28. Iran has since responded with attacks on Israeli and U.S. interests across the Middle East. ■