Rockets fired overnight targeted an Iraqi military base inside the Baghdad airport complex, which also houses a support centre for the US embassy, Iraq’s defence ministry said, reports AFP.

The base is near a US diplomatic and logistics hub in the airport complex, which has been repeatedly targeted since the start of the war in the Middle East on February 28.

Early on Monday morning, “an air base was targeted by 122mm Grad rockets launched from the outskirts of Baghdad”, a statement from the ministry said.

“This attack resulted in the destruction of an Antonov-132 aircraft belonging to the Iraqi Air Force. No casualties were reported,” it added.

A military official told AFP that “rockets fell inside the diplomatic support centre early Monday morning, causing a fire”.