Reports emerged that one person was killed and eight were injured in an overnight explosion at an Iraqi military base on Friday night, as confirmed by officials.
The explosion targeted the Kalsu military base located in Babylon province, south of Baghdad, where the regular army, police, and members of Iraq’s Popular Mobilisation Forces, or Hashed al-Shaabi, are positioned.
According to a US official, Israel conducted airstrikes against Iran, as reported by ABC News. The city of Isfahan experienced the sounds of the airstrikes, and the Mehr news agency, cited by Al Jazeera, mentioned that several miniature UAVs were shot down.
However, it remains uncertain whether the sites in Syria and Iraq were also targeted. The motive behind the attack was described as a “retaliatory strike” against Iran, occurring less than a week after Tehran’s drones and missiles attack.
In response, Iran activated air defense batteries and temporarily suspended flight operations in various cities, including Tehran, Shiraz, and Isfahan, but later lifted these restrictions.
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian stated that Iran was investigating the overnight attack and emphasized that there was no proven link to Israel, downplaying the significance of the strike.
Amirabdollahian informed NBC News that the drones were launched from within Iran and flew a short distance before being intercepted. However, he dismissed the reported Israeli retaliation as mere “child’s play.”
Israel had previously declared its intention to retaliate following an attack on April 13, which marked Iran’s first direct assault on Israel.
Fortunately, there were no casualties as Israel and its allies successfully intercepted numerous missiles and drones. Tehran had initiated these attacks in response to an alleged Israeli airstrike on April 1, which targeted a building within Iran’s embassy compound in Damascus and resulted in the deaths of several Iranian officers, including a high-ranking general.
