An overnight explosion at an Iraqi military base housing a coalition of pro-Iranian armed groups resulted in the death of one individual and injuries to eight others.
The Kalsu military base in Babylon province, located south of Baghdad and home to Iraq’s Popular Mobilisation Forces (Hashed al-Shaabi), was struck by the explosion.
This incident occurred shortly after Iran’s recent attack on Israel, to which Israel reportedly responded with a drone strike on the Islamic republic, further escalating tensions exacerbated by the conflict in Gaza.
According to the Iraqi security forces media unit, the explosion and subsequent fire occurred at the Kalsu base in the early hours of Saturday, resulting in one fatality and eight individuals sustaining injuries.
A statement from the air defence command clarified that there were no drones or combat aircraft present in the airspace of Babylon province before or during the explosion.
Initially, an interior ministry official had reported an aerial bombing at the site, but Hashed al-Shaabi later confirmed the incident without specifying the extent of damages or casualties.
The group acknowledged that its facilities within the military base were affected by the explosion and indicated that investigators had been dispatched to the scene.
While security sources refrained from attributing the attack to any specific entity, the incident is believed to be a retaliatory response to Iran’s recent assault on Israel, which itself was purportedly in retaliation for an earlier attack on Iran’s embassy in Damascus.
Concerned by the escalation of hostilities, Iraq’s foreign ministry issued a statement on Friday expressing apprehension over the blast in Iran and cautioning against the potential risks of military escalation that could jeopardize regional security and stability.
The ministry emphasized the importance of not losing focus on the ongoing situation in the Gaza Strip amidst these escalating tensions.