Iraq believes Israel may have struck militia weapons supplied by Iran - report

Iraq believes that Israel was behind recent strikes on two sites where Iran-backed militias had stockpiled “Chinese-made shoulder-fired air defense systems” sourced from Tehran, sources told London-based Arabic international newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat on Saturday.

It was unclear which specific type of system the report referred to. One source told the newspaper that “the armed group that identified this location for storing air defense systems believed it was extremely difficult to access or detect…the suspected attack occurred shortly after the shipments arrived at the two storage sites.”

The report, which said the strikes occurred last week, did not provide evidence for the claims and noted that parts of the claims could not be confirmed.

Asharq Al-Awsat added that the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), an umbrella group that contains numerous Iranian-backed militias and is also an Iraqi government paramilitary force, had said one of their bases suffered an explosion on October 17.

However, the PMF claimed at the time that this was an accident, and Iraq’s government vowed to investigate. The explosion had affected a stockpile of obsolete ammunition inside one of their headquarters in Baghdad's East Canal, injuring five people, according to Asharq Al-Awsat.

This is not the first time that Iraqis have sought to blame Israel for strikes in the country. Iranian-backed militias also blamed Israel for strikes in 2019 and a strike in Albukamal in Syria on the Iraqi border. In May, The Wall Street Journal reported that Israel set up a secret airstrip in Iraq in the midst of the Iran campaign.

Iran has been supplying Iraqi militias with weapons for many years. This has included missiles and drones capable of threatening Israel. The militias also carried out numerous attacks on Israel, especially after Hamas began its war on Israel on October 7, 2023.

The Asharq Al-Awsat report further cited an anonymous Iraqi government official who said that relevant authorities are still investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident, with the report noting that over a week had passed since the incident without any update.

Other sources said that the explosion in mid-October followed another incident on October 1. In that incident, warehouses belonging to Iran-backed groups in and around Baghdad had apparently been affected, “including warehouses containing drones intended for suicide attacks and reconnaissance.”

The report also reveals that the Iran-backed militias appear to be preparing for escalation. Iran has sought to make Iraq a frontline of the war since the US and Israel began airstrikes in February. For instance, Iran has carried out more than 1,000 strikes on the Kurdistan Region of northern Iraq since February. It has used drones and missiles.

In addition, Iran and the Iranian-backed militias carried out 600 attacks throughout Iraq, some targeting US diplomatic sites. The US withdrew forces from Iraq on September 30, a deadline that had been agreed to with Baghdad over the last years. Also, the US has warned Americans not to travel to Baghdad and noted the terror threats from the militias.

Asharq Al-Awsat appears to try to connect earlier reports about China supplying Iran with weapons to the movement of the same systems to Iraq. However, the report admits that this is “unconfirmed.” It further notes that on July 28, the Chinese Foreign Ministry denied these reports.

At the time, Iran was expected to receive, within weeks, its first shipment of up to 400 Chinese-made shoulder-fired air-defense missile launchers as it rebuilt its defenses after its war with the United States, three sources familiar with the deal told Reuters.

The militias may be preparing for what comes next. It should be noted that an Iran-backed militia targeted Saudi Arabia’s East-West Pipeline in a drone attack. It is believed, according to a report at Al-Hurra and other reports, that the attack was carried out from Iraq’s Maysan province near the Iranian border. That border crossing has now been closed amid US pressure and Iraq’s concerns apparently over trafficking.

Asharq Al-Awsat further noted conflicting reports describing sorties by Israeli fighter jets through Iraqi airspace near the Iranian border, supported by midair refuelers, an operation it said had not been independently confirmed.

A security official told Asharq Al-Awsat that Iraqi authorities have not yet determined the nature of the strikes, but have seen sufficient evidence to believe Israel was behind them.

The report concluded that the strikes suggest the start of a new round of conflict. This seems sensational because the alleged incident took place in mid-to-early October. On the other hand, a source within the Shi’ite Coordination Framework told Asharq Al-Awsat that “leaders of ruling parties had been predicting for weeks that the resumption of war between Washington and Tehran would begin with the complete destruction of the capabilities of the Iraqi factions.”

The Shi’ite Coordination Framework includes the Shi’ite parties in Iraq. Many of the parties have armed wings that are part of the PMF. For instance, the Badr Organization has numerous brigades within the PMF. Other groups include Kataib Hezbollah, Asaib Ahl al Haq and Harakat Hezbollah al Nujaba. Most of these groups, except Badr, have been sanctioned by the US as terrorist groups.

Meanwhile, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, which includes many of the militias and has been responsible for attacks on Israel and the US in the past, published a report claiming Iraq’s airspace was being violated.