Rocket explosion rocks Green Zone in central Baghdad

BAGHDAD, May 19 (Xinhua) -- An explosion was heard in the heavily fortified Green Zone in central Baghdad in Iraq on Sunday evening, while sirens could be heard following the blast, a security source said.

"Katyusha rocket hits central Baghdad's Green Zone without causing any casualties," Yahya Rasoul, spokesman of the Iraqi Joint Operations Command, said in a statement.

Another security source anonymously told Xinhua that a Katyusha rocket struck an empty area near the U.S. embassy in the Green Zone, without causing casualties.