Two Sites Targeted in Suspected Israeli Operation in Iraq

Iraqi authorities have concluded that Israel likely conducted recent strikes on two facilities where Iran-backed militias had stored shoulder-fired air defense systems, according to sources speaking to the London-based newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat on Saturday. The report suggests the weapons, which were reportedly supplied by Tehran, are of Chinese origin, although specific model names were not provided in the disclosure.

The newspaper noted that the report lacks definitive proof and that certain elements remain unverified. However, one source indicated that the armed group responsible for selecting the storage locations had deemed them exceptionally difficult to detect or reach. The suspected attack occurred shortly after the shipments arrived at both sites, with the strikes taking place during the previous week.

The publication also highlighted a separate explosion that occurred on October 17 at a base belonging to the Popular Mobilization Forces. This umbrella organization includes numerous Iranian-backed militias and functions as an Iraqi government paramilitary force. The PMF characterized the blast as an accident, prompting the Iraqi government to promise an investigation. The report stated that the incident affected a stockpile of obsolete ammunition at a headquarters in Baghdad's East Canal area and resulted in five injuries.

An anonymous Iraqi official told the newspaper that authorities are still examining the circumstances, despite more than a week passing without a public update. Other sources linked this mid-October event to an earlier incident on October 1, when warehouses associated with Iran-backed groups in and around Baghdad were also affected. These sites reportedly held drones intended for suicide attacks and reconnaissance missions. A security official claimed that while the exact nature of the strikes was not fully determined, sufficient evidence pointed to Israeli involvement.

This is not the first time Iraqi officials have attributed similar actions to Israel. Iranian-backed militias have previously blamed Israel for strikes in 2019 and for an attack in Albukamal, Syria, near the Iraqi border. In May, The Wall Street Journal reported that Israel established a secret airstrip in Iraq during its campaign against Iran. Additionally, conflicting and unconfirmed accounts suggest Israeli fighter jets have flown through Iraqi airspace near the Iranian border with the aid of midair refuelers.

Iran has armed Iraqi militias for years, providing missiles and drones capable of threatening Israeli territory. Following the war initiated by Hamas on October 7, 2023, these groups carried out numerous attacks on Israel. Since the US and Israel began airstrikes in February, Iran has attempted to position Iraq as a frontline state. The country has launched over 1,000 strikes on the Kurdistan Region using drones and missiles, while Iran and allied militias have mounted 600 attacks across Iraq, some targeting US diplomatic sites. The US withdrew its forces on September 30, adhering to a long-standing deadline with Baghdad, and has warned its citizens against traveling to Baghdad.

The newspaper drew a tentative link between earlier reports of China supplying weapons to Iran and the movement of those systems to Iraq, though it described this connection as unconfirmed. China's Foreign Ministry denied such reports on July 28. In a related development, an Iran-backed militia attacked Saudi Arabia's East-West Pipeline with a drone, reportedly from Iraq's Maysan province near the Iranian border. That crossing has since been closed due to US pressure and Iraqi concerns regarding trafficking.

Asharq Al-Awsat concluded that these strikes signal the beginning of a new round of conflict, even though the original incidents date back to early and mid-October. A source within the Shi'ite Coordination Framework stated that 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, excluding the Badr Organization, are sanctioned by the US as terrorist organizations. Meanwhile, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a coalition of militias that has previously attacked Israel and the US, issued a statement claiming that Iraqi airspace was being violated.