Damage to a vehicle in Erbil’s Pirzin neighborhood after debris from an intercepted drone fell near the U.S. Consulate, shattering the car’s sunroof and nearby windows.
Drone intercepted over Erbil as falling debris damages property
ERBIL — Loud explosions were heard over Erbil around 8 a.m. Monday as U.S. air defense systems near the city’s international airport intercepted multiple drones, with debris falling on a residential neighborhood and damaging homes and vehicles, a 964media correspondent reported.
Debris from one drone shot down near the U.S. Consulate fell into the Pirzin neighborhood, while another drone came down in a separate area of the city. No casualties were reported.
“In the morning, with the sound of the explosions, we rushed outside and thought the windows of our house had fallen, but thank God it was my car,” said Mahdi Suleiman, a Pirzin resident. He said the roof and windows of his vehicle were damaged and that glass and windows of several nearby houses were shattered.
Videos circulating on social media showed the moment a projectile was launched and a drone was struck in the sky over Erbil.
The incident follows multiple overnight drone attacks targeting the U.S. Consulate and Erbil Air Base. On Sunday evening, Saraya Awliya al-Dam claimed responsibility for a drone strike on the base, saying it was carried out “in retaliation for the blood of Wali Allah Ali Khamenei.”