
The first wave of hundreds of U.S. Army paratroopers from a rapid reaction force has deployed to Kuwait in response to the assault on the U.S. embassy in Baghdad by pro-Iran militiamen, with thousands more soldiers on alert for snap deployment.

On Wednesday at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, paratroopers from the 2nd Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division boarded C-17 Globemaster aircraft transports bound for Kuwait.

The official account for the 82nd Airborne, America's Division tweeted on Wednesday: 'Early this morning more than 650 All American Paratroopers and equipment began their deployment to the @CENTCOM (U.S. Central Command) area of operations.

'This is why we exist. Your @Strike_Hold (1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division) Paratroopers have trained and prepared for events like these. @OIRSpox (spokesperson for Operation Inherent Resolve), they are on the way.'

Iran-backed militiamen withdrew from the U.S. Embassy compound in Baghdad on Wednesday after two days of clashes with American security forces, but U.S.-Iran tensions remain high and could spill over into further violence.

'At the direction of the Commander in Chief, I have authorized the deployment of an infantry battalion from the Immediate Response Force (IRF) of the 82nd Airborne Division to the U.S. Central Command area of operations in response to recent events in Iraq,' Secretary of Defense Mark T. Esper said in a statement.

The first contingent of a paratroop infantry battalion from the U.S. Army's 82nd Airborne Division bound for Kuwait receive a briefing as they prepare to leave Fort Bragg, North Carolina on Wednesday

U.S. Army paratroopers of an immediate reaction force wait to board their C-17 transport aircraft to leave Fort Bragg

Paratroopers help one another prepare for their deployment aboard a C-17 transport aircraft leaving Fort Bragg

Supporters and members of the Hashed al-Shaabi paramilitary force gather during a demonstration outside the US embassy in the Iraqi capital Baghdad on Wednesday. They marched unimpeded through the checkpoints of the usually high-security Green Zone to the embassy gates, where they broke through a reception area, chanting 'Death to America' and scribbling pro-Iran graffiti on the walls

'Approximately 750 soldiers will deploy to the region immediately, and additional forces from the IRF are prepared to deploy over the next several days,' Esper said.

'This deployment is an appropriate and precautionary action taken in response to increased threat levels against U.S. personnel and facilities, such as we witnessed in Baghdad today. The United States will protect our people and interests anywhere they are found around the world,' he continued.

On Tuesday, some 6,000 pro-Iran Shiite militia fighters stormed U.S. embassy in Baghdad, set walls ablaze and chanted 'Death to America!' in a violent retaliation for American air strikes. There were no reports of American casualties, and the attack was repelled after 100 Marines rapidly reinforced the compound.

The attack on the embassy also prompted U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to delay a European and Central Asian trip.

Pompeo called the attack an act of 'state-sponsored terrorism' in an interview with CBS News, and President Donald Trump vowed that the Iranian government will be held 'fully responsible' for the attack.

Pompeo said in a statement that the attack was 'orchestrated by terrorists' and 'abetted by Iranian proxies', tweeting pictures that he said showed US-designated terrorists with Iranian ties outside the embassy.

A paratrooper takes a moment to reflect before deploying as part of an immediate reaction force from Fort Bragg

A paratrooper puts on her helmet shortly before boarding her C-17 transport aircraft leaving Fort Bragg, North Carolina

Paratroopers secure their gear and weapons as they prepare to deploy from Fort Bragg on Wednesday

U.S. Army paratroopers of an immediate reaction force from the 2nd Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, prepare to board a C-17 transport aircraft leaving Fort Bragg

A member of the immediate reaction force reflects before the deployment to Kuwait as US-Iran tensions rise

Supporters of Iraq's Hashed al-Shaabi paramilitary force hold placards depicting trampled US symbols reading in Arabic 'Welcome' during a protest outside the US embassy in the Iraqi capital Baghdad on Wednesday

In an orchestrated assault, hundreds of militiamen and their supporters broke into the embassy compound, destroying a reception area, smashing windows and spraying graffiti on walls to protest U.S. airstrikes against an Iran-backed militia over the weekend that killed 25 fighters.

The U.S. blamed the militia for a rocket attack on an Iraqi military base in the northern city of Kirkuk last week that killed a U.S. contractor.

The protesters set up a tent camp overnight and on Wednesday set fire to the reception area and hurled stones at U.S. Marines guarding the compound, who responded with tear gas. There were no injuries on either side and no American staff were evacuated from the compound.

The Popular Mobilization Forces, an umbrella group of state-allied militias - many backed by Iran - called on its supporters to withdraw in response to an appeal by the Iraqi government, saying 'your message has been received.'

By late afternoon the tents had been taken down and the protesters relocated to the opposite side of the Tigris River, outside the so-called Green Zone housing government offices and foreign embassies. U.S. Apache helicopters circled overhead.

'After achieving the intended aim, we pulled out from this place triumphantly,' said Fadhil al-Gezzi, a militia supporter. 'We rubbed America's nose in the dirt.' Trump has vowed to exact a 'big price' for an attack he blamed squarely on Iran.

Army paratroopers march out to their C-17 transport aircraft as they leave Fort Bragg, North Carolina on Wednesday

Paratroopers deploy to Kuwait from Pope Army Airfield near Fort Bragg in North Carolina on January 1, 2020

The soldiers were activated and deployed to the Middle East in response to recent events in Iraq

Airmen assigned to 43rd Air Mobility Operations Group conducting loading operations on C-17 Globemaster III aircraft

Kataeb Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militia targeted by the U.S. airstrikes, initially refused to leave but later bowed to demands to disperse. The militia is separate from the Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon, though both are backed by Iran.

'We don´t care about these planes that are flying over the heads of the picketers. Neither do we care about the news that America will bring Marines,' said Mohammed Mohy, a spokesman for Kataeb Hezbollah. 'On the contrary, this shows a psychological defeat and a big mental breakdown that the American administration is suffering from,' he said, before withdrawing from the area.

The violence came as Iran and its allies across the region have faced unprecedented mass protests in recent months and heavy U.S. sanctions have cratered Iran's economy.

Iraq has been gripped by anti-government protests since October fueled by anger at widespread corruption and economic mismanagement, as well as Iran's heavy influence over the country's affairs. Those protesters were not involved in the embassy attack.

The Pentagon sent an infantry battalion of about 750 soldiers to the Middle East. A U.S. official familiar with the decision said they would go to Kuwait.

Pompeo postponed a trip that was scheduled to start in Ukraine late Thursday so that he can monitor developments in Iraq and 'ensure the safety and security of Americans in the Middle East,' said State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus.

Iran denied involvement in the attack on the embassy. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was quoted by media as saying that 'if the Islamic Republic makes a decision to confront any country, it will do it directly.'

750 soldiers will deploy to the region immediately, and additional forces are prepared to deploy over the next several days

U.S. Army Paratroopers assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, deploy from Pope Army Airfield, North Carolina on January 1, 2020

Iran-backed militiamen withdrew from the U.S. Embassy compound in Baghdad on Wednesday after two days of clashes

Iran later summoned the Swiss charge d'affaires, who represents American interests in Tehran, to protest what it said was war-mongering by U.S. officials.

Public consular operations at the embassy were suspended and future appointments cancelled, it said in a statement.

Tensions have steadily risen since Trump withdrew the U.S. from Iran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers and embarked on a campaign of maximum pressure through economic sanctions. Iran has responded by abandoning some of its commitments under the deal.

U.S. officials have blamed Iran for the sabotage of oil tankers in the Persian Gulf and a drone attack on Saudi oil facilities in September that caused a spike in world oil prices. But the Trump administration has not responded with direct military action, apparently fearing a wider conflict.

The U.S. has sent more than 14,000 additional troops to the Gulf region since May in response to concerns about Iranian aggression. At the time of the attack, the U.S. had about 5,200 troops in Iraq, mainly to train Iraqi forces and help them combat Islamic State extremists.

The U.S. and Iran have vied for influence over Iraq since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein. Iran has close ties to Iraq's Shiite majority and major political factions, and its influence has steadily grown since then.

President Donald Trump vowed that the Iranian government will be held 'fully responsible' for the attack

U.S. Army paratroopers of an immediate reaction force from the 2nd Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, line up to board their C-17 transport aircraft as they leave Fort Bragg

Paratroopers board a C-17 Globemaster III at Pope Air Field on a deployment to Kuwait on Wednesday

The first wave of hundreds of U.S. Army paratroopers from a rapid reaction force has deployed to Kuwait

Iran helped to mobilize tens of thousands of mostly Shiite militiamen to battle the Islamic State group when it stormed across northern and western Iraq in 2014 as the armed forces collapsed. The U.S. and Iran both provided vital aid to Iraqi forces, who eventually declared victory over the extremists in December 2017.

The political influence of the Popular Mobilization Forces has risen in recent years, and their allies dominate the parliament and the government. That has made them the target of the anti-government protesters, who have attacked Iranian diplomatic missions and the local headquarters of parties affiliated with the militias across southern Iraq.

They have also set up a sprawling protest camp in central Baghdad, and for weeks have been trying to enter the Green Zone. Iraqi security forces have beaten them back with tear gas and live ammunition, killing hundreds.

The militiamen and their supporters, however, were able to quickly enter the Green Zone and mass in front of the embassy, with little if any resistance from authorities.

Iraq's government vehemently condemned the airstrikes on the militia, saying it violated national sovereignty. But Iran and its allies might have also seen the attack as a way of diverting attention from the anti-government protests.

'Iran has been trying to provoke the U.S. into helping it solve its Iraq problem,' said the Crisis Group, an international think tank. 'The Trump administration, by responding to the attacks in Kirkuk and elsewhere with airstrikes, has obliged.'