Three rockets have hit the US embassy in Iraq’s capital, wounding at least one person, in the first direct strike reported after months of close calls.

The attack on Sunday evening in Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone marked a dangerous escalation in a series of rocket attacks in recent months that have targeted the embassy or Iraqi military bases where American troops are deployed.

None of the attacks has been claimed but Washington has repeatedly blamed Iran-backed military factions in Iraq.

On Sunday one rocket hit an embassy cafeteria at dinner time while two others landed nearby, a security source told AFP.