Israeli-Iranian tensions result in a deadly explosion at an Iraqi army camp

An explosion that occurred overnight at an Iraqi military facility that is home to a coalition of armed organisations that support Iran resulted in one fatality and eight injuries, according to officials on Saturday.

The explosion occurred at the Iraqi Popular Mobilisation Forces, also known as Hashed al-Shaabi, headquarters at the Kalsu military facility in Babylon province, south of Baghdad.

Days after Iran launched an unprecedented attack on Israel, the Islamic republic is said to have retaliated with a drone strike, escalating tensions stoked by the Gaza conflict.

“No drones or combat aircraft in the airspace of Babylon province before or during the explosion,” the Air Defence Command said in a statement.

When the “aerial bombing” was first published on the interior ministry’s site.

Hashed al-Shaabi claimed in a statement that there had been “material losses” and casualties, although he did not provide an exact figure.

The organisation verified that its location on the military post had been targeted and that detectives had been dispatched to the scene.

No one took immediate credit for anything.

In response to inquiries from AFP, the security sources refrained from identifying the potential perpetrator of the incident.

“The explosion hit equipment, weapons and vehicles,” said the interior ministry source.

‘Odious crime’ 

Shortly after the explosion, the US military said its forces were not behind a reported strike in Iraq.

“The United States has not conducted air strikes in Iraq today,” US Central Command (CENTCOM) posted on social media platform X, adding that reports that American forces had carried out a strike were “not true”.

The Iraqi military official, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the subject, said the overnight explosion had occurred in “warehouses storing equipment”.

When reached by AFP, the Israeli army said it “does not comment on information published in foreign media”.

The Hashed al-Shaabi is an integral part of the official Iraqi security apparatus under the authority of the prime minister.

It brings together several pro-Iran armed factions, some of which have also carried out dozens of attacks in Iraq and Syria against US forces deployed as part of an international anti-jihadist coalition.

“We will retaliate against whoever is behind this aggression,” Hashed commander Abu Alaa al-Walai wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “Those involved in this odious crime will pay the price.”

On Friday, strikes blamed on Israel targeted a military base near the city of Isfahan in central Iran.

The explosion came in response to Tehran’s unprecedented attack on Israel last weekend, in retaliation for a deadly strike on Iran’s embassy in Damascus.

Iraq’s foreign ministry expressed “strong concern” on Friday over the blast in Iran, warning of the “risks of military escalation which threatens security and stability in the region.”

“This escalation must not be allowed to divert attention from what’s happening in the Gaza Strip,” it said.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohamed Shia al-Sudani is in Washington, where he met US President Joe Biden this week.

AFP