A mortar and rocket attack on Baghdad's heavily-protected Green Zone has killed three people, Iraqi police said.
Two Iraqis and one Filipino were killed and about 25 people wounded, Iraqi officials said.
Police said up to 30 rockets and mortars were fired into the zone which houses the government and parliament and many foreign embassies.
Eyewitnesses reported smoke rising from the area around the US embassy. There were no immediate reports of damage.
Police said many of the wounded were Iraqis. Many foreign workers are also based in the area.
It comes a week after Prime Minister Nouri Maliki warned militants against attacks on the Green Zone.
US military helicopters took to the air moments later from the Green Zone, apparently searching for the firing positions.
Correct range
The Green Zone is supposed to be a safe area of operation for the US civilian and military authorities in Baghdad, US contractors and the post-Saddam Hussein Iraqi government.
In a recent report, the United Nations underlined the increased risks of operating in the area. According to UN figures, 26 people were killed by indirect fire from mid-February to late May.
The heavily-fortified area of the Iraqi capital has been the target of increasingly frequent attacks.
However, rocket fire and mortar attacks are often ineffective as helicopter patrols mean that attackers have no time to find the correct range, with most attacks falling on open ground.
US military commanders have said many of the shell fragments found after the attacks indicated they had been made in Iran.
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