Secretary of State Antony Blinken flew to Baghdad for talks with Iraqi Prime Mohammed Shia al-Sudani after meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Sunday amid a broader effort to contain the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza and prevent spillover throughout the region.

The unnanounced visit came as American forces in the region face a surge of attacks by Iranian-allied militias in Iraq and elsewhere. U.S. forces shot down another one-way attack drone Sunday that was targeting American and coalition troops near their base in neighboring Syria, a U.S. official said.

What You Need To Know

  • Secretary of State Antony Blinken flew to Baghdad for talks with Iraqi Prime Mohammed Shia al-Sudani after meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Sunday

  • The unnanounced visit came as American forces in the region face a surge of attacks by Iranian-allied militias in Iraq and elsewhere
  • U.S. forces shot down another one-way attack drone Sunday that was targeting American and coalition troops near their base in neighboring Syria, a U.S. official said

  • The U.S. has deep concerns that Iran and its proxies, including several militia groups in Iraq, may take advantage of the situation in Gaza to further destabilize the Middle East

When Blinken arrived in the Iraqi capital, he slipped on a khaki flak jacket over his dark suit before boarding a helicopter to fly from the airport to his first meeting at the U.S. Embassy.

The U.S. has deep concerns that Iran and its proxies, including several militia groups in Iraq, may take advantage of the situation in Gaza to further destabilize the Middle East. Already Iranian-backed militias have intensified rocket and other attacks on U.S. military facilities in Iraq and Syria, drawing at least one retaliatory strike from American forces.

Sunday's attack by drone against a U.S. site in Syria was at least the 32nd on U.S. and coalition military facilities in Iraq and Syria since Oct. 17. To date there have been at least 17 attacks in Iraq and 15 in Syria. At least 21 service members have been injured by the attacks but all have returned to duty, the Pentagon said.

The same U.S. official who confirmed the U.S. shootdown of the drone said the drone strike was very similar to other recent attacks on U.S. personnel at bases in Iraq and Syria and is believed at this point to be linked to Iranian-backed militia. The official was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Since the Israeli-Hamas war erupted, U.S. officials have tried to deter any desire by Iran or groups it supports, including Lebanon’s Hezbollah, Yemen’s Houthis and Iraqi militias, to join or exacerbate the crisis.

President Joe Biden has deployed two aircraft carrier strike groups to the eastern Mediterranean and the Bahrain-based U.S. 5th Fleet has been instructed to be on the alert.