Baghdad, March 2 (RHC)-- Explosions have been reported in the heavily fortified Green Zone in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, hosting the U.S. embassy and other foreign diplomatic and military installations. Rockets reportedly fell near the U.S. compound.  Several rockets were reportedly launched towards the U.S. embassy in Baghdad on Sunday evening, local media reported.

It was not immediately clear how many missiles struck in the proximity of the US diplomatic quarters, that has repeatedly come under rocket fire in the recent months, with conflicting reports on social media suggesting at least two projectiles might have hit the compound.

Security sources, cited by Reuters, reported that two missiles landed inside the Green Zone, including one that hit the ground near the embassy itself. No one has been hurt in the attack, they said.

The reports of the attack come less than an hour after Iraqi PM-designate Mohammed Allawi announced that he was withdrawing his candidacy from the race after his yet another attempt to form a governemnt on Sunday faltered due to the lack of quorum in the parliament.

Allawi was hoping to break a months-long deadlock, that saw Iraq being engulfed by a wave of mass protests that erupted in October and brought down the cabinet of former PM Adel Abdul Mahdi two months later.

Announcing his decision to withdraw, Allawi blamed political parties who he accused of “placing obstacles” in the way of him forming an independent government for his failure to solve the political crisis.