The Iraqi army said that one rocket had been destroyed in the air by the C-RAM defense system and the other landed near the zone's festivals arena damaging two cars.

There were no immediate reports of casualties.

The Green Zone was a heavily fortified zone in the center of the Iraqi capital that served as the headquarters of successive Iraqi regimes.

The area was taken by US military forces in April 2003 in some of the heaviest fightings during the capture of Baghdad.

In the lead-up to the US invasion of Iraq, Saddam and many high-status residents of the area were evacuated because of the anticipated aerial bombardment of the area by US forces.

The Green Zone was frequently shelled by Iraqi resistance groups with mortars and rockets, though these attacks caused few casualties. (ILKHA)