Mysterious airstrike targets military base in Babylon
In the Iraqi province of Babylon, south of Baghdad, an "unidentified aircraft" attacked the joint military base of Kalsu, which includes the forces of the Iraqi army, federal police, and the so-called Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) - reports the Saudi station Asharq. Reuters speaks of a "powerful explosion".
20 Apr 2024 | updated: 20 April 2024 15:44
Members of the PMF reported that the attack targeted the command of their forces at the Kaiso base, near the city of Iskandariya, located about 50 km south of Baghdad. Iraqi government officials have not yet commented on the subject.
The PMF group initially brought together various factions of the Iraqi armed forces, including pro-Iranian ones. The Iraqi government later recognized it as part of the armed forces.
Three airstrikes: explosions at the military base
According to Reuters, citing Iraqi security sources, the explosion at the base of the Popular Mobilization Forces was the result of a raid of unknown origin.
Meanwhile, a correspondent for Al Mayadeen (a Lebanese pan-Arab channel associated with Iran) in Iraq reported that the attack on the headquarters of the Kalsu base in the province of Babylon in southern Iraq was carried out in the form of three airstrikes.
According to unofficial information, the base was "significantly damaged".
The recording is said to depict the aftermath of the airstrike on the military base in the province of Babylon.
As reported by Al Jazeera, two soldiers were injured in the attack. Meanwhile, the AFP news agency reports that one soldier was killed and two were injured in the attack.
At the same time, channels associated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) report that at least 8 of their members were killed. The Corps blames Israel for the attack.
Many militias supported by Iran are stationed in Iraq.
Retaliatory attack
On Friday, Israel attacked the province of Isfahan in Iran with drones. American station CNN said that was probably the last case of such attacks carried out directly by the authorities of these countries on the opponent's territory; such operations will not continue.
CNN source linked to intelligence services in the Middle East said that there should be no expectation of Tehran's response to Friday's attack. The station's source requested anonymity.
On April 1, Israel shelled the Iranian consulate in the capital of Syria, Damascus. As a result of this strike, probably several people were killed, including three higher-ranking Iranian commanders and four other officers who supervised Tehran's secret operations in the Middle East. Among those killed was Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Zahedi, commander of Iran's elite Al-Quds unit in Syria and Lebanon. This was one of the bloodiest Israeli operations against Iran.
On the night of April 12 to April 13, authorities in Tehran carried out a retaliatory attack on Israel. Over 300 drones and missiles were fired, mostly from Iranian territory. Still, they caused minimal damage, as the forces of Israel, the US, France, the United Kingdom, and Jordan intercepted the vast majority of them.
