Explosion hits Iraqi military base housing pro-Iranian militia

A military base in Iraq housing a pro-Iranian militia was damaged by an explosion, killing one person and injuring eight, security officials said.

The Iraqi military did not report any drones or fighter jets in the area before or during the explosion.

But the militia involved, the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), blamed the attack.

This comes amid heightened tensions between Israel and Iran.

The PMF is an umbrella organization that brings together several pro-Iranian militias that are part of the network of proxies that Tehran has been able to use to advance its interests in the Middle East for years.

These militias have repeatedly attacked U.S. personnel and interests in Iraq in the past, aiming to force remaining U.S. troops out of the country. The United States has regularly retaliated against the militias.

The Pentagon, however, quickly denied any involvement in this incident.

This comes as the long-running confrontation between Israel and Iran has recently entered a new, more perilous phase, amid tensions heightened by the war in Gaza.

Unlike the shadow war they have been engaged in for many years, the two countries appear to have directly attacked each other.

A suspected Israeli strike reportedly took place near the Iranian city of Isfahan early Friday morning.

The attack was apparently a response to a major barrage of drones and missiles launched by Tehran on Israel six days earlier.

The Iranian action was in retaliation for an earlier strike against senior Iranian military commanders in the Syrian capital Damascus – widely believed to have been carried out by Israel.

Although the conflict still appears somewhat contained for now, Iran’s foreign minister warned that Iran would provide an immediate and “maximum” response if Israel launched significant attacks against its interests.

The explosion at the Kalso military base, about 50 km south of Baghdad, occurred early Saturday morning, the army said.

One PMF member was killed in the explosion and eight others were injured.

In a statement, the PMF said its chief of staff, Abdul Aziz al-Mohammedawi, had visited the base to review what investigators had found so far.

The Iraqi army also said it was investigating the causes of the explosion and fire at the base.

“The Air Defense Command report confirmed, through technical efforts and radar detection, that there were no drones or combat aircraft in Babil airspace before and during the explosion” , indicates a press release.

The US military’s Central Command denied what it said were reports that the United States had carried out airstrikes in Iraq in a message posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.