Iraqi Security: Suspected Israeli Strikes on Iranian-Backed Militia Sites

Residents and security personnel in Iraq are facing a potential shift in how local conflicts are managed, as authorities suggest external forces may have targeted specific storage sites. For those living in the region, this implies that the quiet lull in hostilities may be ending. The focus is on two locations where Iranian-backed militias kept shoulder-fired air defense systems. These weapons were reportedly of Chinese origin and supplied by Tehran. The timing and nature of the hits are raising questions about the next phase of regional tensions.

According to sources cited by the London-based Arabic newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat, the strikes occurred last week. The report did not specify the exact model of the air defense units. It also noted a lack of concrete evidence to fully verify the claims. One insider mentioned that the armed group choosing the storage location believed it was extremely difficult to detect or reach. The suspected attack happened shortly after the shipments arrived at both sites. This quick succession suggests a high level of intelligence gathering by the suspected attacker.

The newspaper also highlighted a separate explosion on October 17 at a Popular Mobilition Forces (PMF) base. The PMF is an umbrella organization that includes many Iranian-backed militias and serves as an Iraqi government paramilitary force. Officials initially described the blast as an accident. The Iraqi government promised an investigation into the incident. The report stated that the explosion hit a stockpile of obsolete ammunition at a headquarters in Baghdad's East Canal area. Five people were injured in the blast. An anonymous official said authorities were still examining the circumstances, even though more than a week had passed without an official update.

Other sources linked the mid-October blast to an earlier incident on October 1. Warehouses connected to Iran-backed groups in and around Baghdad were reportedly affected during that first event. These sites held stores of drones intended for suicide attacks and reconnaissance missions. A security official stated that Iraqi authorities had not determined the exact nature of the strikes. However, they had gathered enough evidence to believe Israel was responsible. This pattern of attacks has led to a growing consensus among some local leaders about the source of the aggression.

This is not the first time Iraqis have pointed the finger at Israel. Iranian-backed militias previously blamed Israel for strikes in 2019 and for an attack in Albukamal, Syria. In May, The Wall Street Journal reported that Israel had established a secret airstrip in Iraq during its campaign against Iran. Asharq Al-Awsat also referenced conflicting and unconfirmed accounts of Israeli fighter jets flying through Iraqi airspace near the Iranian border. These flights were allegedly supported by midair refuelers. Such maneuvers highlight the complexity of aerial operations in the region.

Iran has armed Iraqi militias for years, providing them with missiles and drones capable of threatening Israel. The groups carried out numerous attacks on Israel after the war began on October 7, 2023. Since the US and Israel started airstrikes in February, Iran has tried to turn Iraq into a frontline. The country has executed over 1,000 strikes on the Kurdistan Region using drones and missiles. Iran and its allied militias have also mounted 600 attacks across Iraq. Some of these were aimed at US diplomatic sites. The US withdrew its forces from Iraq on September 30, a deadline agreed upon over previous years, and has warned Americans against traveling to Baghdad.

The newspaper connected earlier reports of China supplying weapons to Iran with the movement of those same systems to Iraq, though it described this link as unconfirmed. China's Foreign Ministry denied those reports on July 28. In a related development, an Iran-backed militia attacked Saudi Arabia's East-West Pipeline with a drone. The attack reportedly originated from Iraq's Maysan province, near the Iranian border. That crossing has since been closed due to US pressure and Iraqi concerns about trafficking. This disruption adds another layer of economic and strategic tension to the region.

Asharq Al-Awsat concluded that the strikes signal the start of a new round of conflict, even though the original incidents date to early and mid-October. A source in the Shi'ite Coordination Framework said ruling party leaders had spent weeks predicting that renewed war between Washington and Tehran would begin with the total destruction of the Iraqi factions' capabilities. Most major groups in the PMF, apart from the Badr Organization, have been sanctioned by the US as terrorist organizations. Meanwhile, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a collection of militias that has attacked Israel and the US in the past, published a statement claiming Iraqi airspace was being violated.