100 US Marines And Apache Helicopters Deployed To Reinforce U.S. Embassy In Baghdad After Iraqi Protesters Storm Gates

VIDEO: AH-64 Apaches protect @USEmbBaghdad. 🚁“We have taken appropriate force protection actions to ensure the safety of American citizens...and to ensure our right of self-defense. We are sending additional forces to support our personnel at the Embassy.”~@EsperDoD 🇺🇸🇮🇶 pic.twitter.com/amABHBAOcL

— OIR Spokesman Col. Myles B. Caggins III (@OIRSpox) December 31, 2019

Daily Mail: Trump says Iran 'will pay a very BIG PRICE' after US embassy in Baghdad was attacked by pro-Tehran mob forcing Pentagon to deploy 100 Marines in Chinooks to reinforce the compound

* A swarm of protesters attacked the US embassy in Baghdad, Iraq on Tuesday
* Militia fighters broke through the compound gate and set fires within the high-security complex
* American soldiers inside the embassy have fired tear gas, stun grenades and warning shots at the fighters
* The ambassador was on leave at the time of the attack and embassy staff had already been evacuated before the US Marine guard became besieged at the compound
* The Pentagon deployed 100 additional Marines to the embassy in Chinook helicopters in wake of attack
* Trump has vowed to hold Tehran accountable for the embassy attack, which is in retaliation for US air strikes on the Iran-backed Kataeb Hezbollah on Sunday night
* Those USAF strikes were themselves in retaliation for last week's killing of an American contractor in Kirkuk
* Trump tweeted Tuesday: 'Iran killed an American contractor, wounding many. We strongly responded, and always will Now Iran is orchestrating an attack on the U.S. Embassy in Iraq. They will be held fully responsible'
* The embassy's security team evacuated some local staff through a rear gate while others left by helicopter as the rest remained inside 'safe' areas within the embassy, an employee said
* 62 protesters have been reported injured in the carnage by the pro-Iran Popular Mobilization Forces
* The State Department said that all embassy personnel were safe and that no evacuation was planned

Donald Trump announced that the US embassy in Baghdad is safe after some 6,000 pro-Iran militia fighters stormed the compound on Tuesday, set walls ablaze and chanted 'Death to America!' in a violent retaliation for American air strikes.

The president doubled down in his warning to Iran, saying their government will be held 'fully responsible' for the attack that forced the Pentagon to send 100 Marines as reinforcements to the Iraqi embassy.

'The U.S. Embassy in Iraq is, & has been for hours, SAFE! Many of our great Warfighters, together with the most lethal military equipment in the world, was immediately rushed to the site. Thank you to the President & Prime Minister of Iraq for their rapid response upon request,' Trump tweeted Tuesday evening.

'Iran will be held fully responsible for lives lost, or damage incurred, at any of our facilities. They will pay a very BIG PRICE! This is not a Warning, it is a Threat. Happy New Year!' he added.

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More News On 100 US Marines And Apache Helicopters Deployed To Reinforce The U.S. Embassy In Baghdad

U.S. Sending Troops to Protect Iraqi Embassy Following Protests in Baghdad -- Time/AP
100 Marines from Crisis Response Unit Sent to Secure US Embassy in Iraq -- Military.com
US sending additional forces to protect embassy threatened by protesters in Iraq -- CNN
Baghdad embassy attack: US Marines and Apache helicopters reinforce compound after Iraqi protesters storm gates -- The Independent
Watch: Apache Gunships Attempt To Disperse Iraqi Mob As Kataib Hezbollah Flags Erected Over Embassy Walls -- Zero Hedge
Trump blames Iran for embassy attack as US says all personnel safe -- Reuters
US presses Iraq to protect American personnel after embassy attack: ‘There will be no Benghazis’ -- FOX News
Pompeo speaks with Iraq's prime minister, president after protesters breach US Embassy in Baghdad -- The Hill