Baghdad Officials Point to Israel in New Series of Attacks on Militia Stockpiles
Iraqi security sources indicate that recent explosions at two storage sites were likely caused by Israeli airstrikes targeting Chinese-made air defense systems.
By Layla Fontaine ·
Iraqi authorities have concluded that Israel was likely responsible for recent strikes on two specific locations where Iran-backed militias stored shoulder-fired air defense systems. According to information obtained by Asharq Al-Awsat, an Arabic-language newspaper based in London, the weapons in question were of Chinese origin and had been supplied by Tehran. The report, published on Saturday, did not identify the exact model of the systems involved, nor did it present definitive physical evidence to support the conclusion. However, the publication noted that portions of the findings remained unconfirmed at the time of writing.
One source familiar with the matter stated that the armed group responsible for selecting the storage location considered it to be difficult to reach and even harder to detect. The strikes occurred shortly after the shipments arrived at both sites, with the blasts taking place during the previous week. This timing suggests a targeted response to the arrival of the new equipment rather than a random occurrence. The report highlighted that the specific nature of the systems was not disclosed, leaving the exact military capabilities affected to speculation.
The publication also drew attention to an explosion that occurred on October 17 at a base belonging to the Popular Mobilization Forces, or PMF. This umbrella organization includes numerous Iranian-backed militias and functions as a paramilitary force within the Iraqi government. The PMF initially described the blast as an accident, and the Iraqi government pledged to conduct an investigation. Asharq Al-Awsat reported that the explosion hit a stockpile of obsolete ammunition at a headquarters located in the East Canal area of Baghdad, resulting in five injuries. An anonymous Iraqi official indicated that authorities were still examining the circumstances, noting that more than a week had passed without an official update on the inquiry.
Other sources placed this mid-October incident in the context of an earlier event on October 1. On that date, warehouses linked to Iran-backed groups in and around Baghdad were reportedly affected. These facilities allegedly stored drones intended for suicide attacks and reconnaissance missions. A security official stated that while Iraqi authorities had not definitively determined the nature of the strikes, they had gathered sufficient evidence to believe Israel was behind the operations. This assessment aligns with the broader pattern of suspicion regarding Israeli involvement in regional security incidents.
This is not the first instance where Iraqi officials have attributed strikes to Israel. Iranian-backed militias previously blamed Israel for attacks in 2019 and for a strike near the Iraqi border in Albukamal, Syria. In May, The Wall Street Journal reported that Israel had established a secret airstrip in Iraq during its campaign against Iran. Additionally, Asharq Al-Awsat referenced conflicting and unconfirmed accounts of Israeli fighter jets flying through Iraqi airspace near the Iranian border, allegedly supported by midair refuelers. These reports add to the complex narrative of covert operations in the region.
For years, Iran has armed Iraqi militias with missiles and drones capable of threatening Israel. Following the war initiated by Hamas in October 2023, these groups carried out numerous attacks on Israel. Since the United States and Israel began airstrikes in February, Iran has sought to transform Iraq into a frontline. The country has executed over 1,000 strikes on the Kurdistan Region using drones and missiles, while Iran and its allied militias have mounted 600 attacks across Iraq, some targeting US diplomatic sites. The US withdrew its forces from Iraq on September 30, a deadline agreed upon with Baghdad over previous years, and has since advised Americans against traveling to Baghdad.
The newspaper linked earlier reports of China supplying weapons to Iran with the movement of similar systems to Iraq, though it described this connection as unconfirmed. China's Foreign Ministry denied those reports on July 28. In a separate development, an Iran-backed militia attacked Saudi Arabia's East-West Pipeline with a drone, reportedly launched 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 in the Shi'ite Coordination Framework noted 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, with the exception of the Badr Organization, have been 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.
