Baghdad Blames Israel for Strikes on Chinese Air Defense Caches
Five people were injured in a Baghdad explosion that authorities say targeted militia weapons depots.
By Alexander Novak ·
Iraqi officials believe Israel struck two locations last week where Iranian-backed militias stored shoulder-fired air defense systems from China. The assessment comes from sources cited by the London-based newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat on Saturday. The report did not identify the specific Chinese system involved. It also noted that some details remained unconfirmed.
The strikes reportedly hit warehouses in and around Baghdad. One source said the armed group chose the storage spots because they were difficult to detect. The attacks occurred shortly after the shipments arrived. An explosion on October 17 at a Popular Mobilization Forces base in the East Canal area of Baghdad injured five people. The PMF initially described the blast as an accident. The Iraqi government promised an investigation into the incident.
An anonymous Iraqi official stated that authorities were still examining the circumstances. The newspaper noted that more than a week had passed without an official update. Other sources linked this mid-October event to an earlier incident on October 1. That strike affected warehouses holding drones for suicide attacks and reconnaissance. A security official said Iraqi investigators had seen enough evidence to attribute the strikes to Israel.
This is not the first time Iraq has suspected Israeli involvement in regional attacks. Iranian-backed militias blamed Israel for strikes in 2019 and for an attack near the border in Syria. In May, The Wall Street Journal reported that Israel established a secret airstrip in Iraq during its campaign against Iran. Unconfirmed accounts also describe Israeli jets flying through Iraqi airspace with refueling support.
Iran has armed Iraqi militias for years with missiles and drones. These groups launched many attacks on Israel after the war began in October 2023. Since February, US and Israeli airstrikes have intensified. Iran has used Iraq as a frontline in this conflict. It has launched more than 1,000 strikes on the Kurdistan Region. Allied militias have mounted 600 attacks across Iraq, some targeting US diplomatic sites.
The US withdrew its forces from Iraq on September 30. This deadline was agreed upon with Baghdad over several years. Washington has warned Americans against traveling to Baghdad. Asharq Al-Awsat linked the current events to earlier reports of China supplying weapons to Iran. China's Foreign Ministry denied those reports on July 28. The newspaper described that specific connection as unconfirmed.
A source in the Shi'ite Coordination Framework said ruling party leaders predicted renewed war would involve destroying Iraqi faction capabilities. Most major PMF groups, except the Badr Organization, are sanctioned by the US as terrorist organizations. The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a coalition of militias, published a statement claiming Iraqi airspace was being violated.
Source: The Jerusalem Post
