Dramatic video of Irani militia’s drone strike against US military base goes viral

The Victory Base Complex and adjacent Baghdad Diplomatic Support Center have faced multiple attacks from Iran-backed militias since the war began at the end of February.

Written by Anwesha Mitra

March 15, 2026 15:37 IST

The Victory Base Complex and adjacent Baghdad Diplomatic Support Center have faced multiple attacks from Iran-backed militias since the war began at the end of February | Representational image/AP

The Iran war took a fresh turn on Saturday as drones struck a US military base in Iraq — striking a helipad and triggering a massive blaze. The American embassy in Baghdad soon issued a ‘Level 4: Do Not Travel’ alert and non-essential personnel were ordered to leave the area immediately. Against this backdrop, footage from a first-person-view drone drifting unchecked through the US military base has gone viral.

Videos circulating on social media show the first-person-view drone rushing through the Victory Base area close to Baghdad International Airport. The footage ends as the drone slams into a building and triggers an explosion. It was not immediately clear from the undated clip when the attack took place.

First known FPV drone attack by an Iranian-backed militia reported in Iraq, with footage showing the munition flying around Victory Base near Baghdad International Airport before striking a building. pic.twitter.com/rW6omZ663A
— Mintel World (@mintelworld) March 15, 2026

A projectile struck the US Embassy compound in Baghdad early on Saturday morning — breaching the heavily fortified Green Zone which houses Iraqi government buildings and foreign embassies. It hit a helipad inside the sprawling complex, and visuals shared online showed thick black smoke and flames rising from the compound. The strike came hours after two Iran-backed fighters were killed in US-led strikes in the Arasat neighbourhood of Baghdad.

US base in Iraq faces barrage of strikes

The Victory Base Complex and adjacent Baghdad Diplomatic Support Center have faced multiple attacks from Iran-backed militias since the war began at the end of February. A swarm of three kamikaze drones reportedly targeted the US military base on the third day of fighting — with Iranian media claiming the strike had damaged the runway and downed an American ‘Palm Jet’ aircraft. US officials have refuted these claims and reported that the drones were either intercepted or caused no significant damage.

A subsequent attack on March 4 reportedly targeted a logistical support facility of the US embassy in Baghdad located close to the airport. The Islamic Resistance in Iraq — an umbrella group for Iran-backed militias — had fired multiple rockets and drones at the Victory Base Complex. Security sources told Reuters that two drones had also targeted a US military base and a hotel in Erbil — in the Kurdish region of northern Iraq — on the same day. According to reports, Iraqi security forces had later found (and seized) a launchpad with nine unspent rockets in a nearby neighbourhood.

The attacks escalated sharply this week as a swarm of kamikaze drones rushed towards the Baghdad Diplomatic Support Centre on March 10. American air defences had intercepted five of these while a sixth breached the perimeter and struck a guard tower.

This article was first uploaded on March fifteen, twenty twenty-six, at thirty-seven minutes past three in the afternoon.