ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Several airstrikes hit a base belonging to Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) in Babil province on Saturday, killing at least two people and wounding others, Iraqi officials and media outlets reported.
Iraq’s Security Media Cell said in a statement that the strikes occurred at around 11:50 am, targeting the Jurf al-Sakhar area, also known as Jurf al-Nasr, killing two people and wounding three. Outlets close to the PMF reported a higher toll, saying two people were killed and at least eight others were injured.
The attack came as the United States and Israel launched strikes against Iran earlier Saturday, sharply escalating regional tensions. Several Middle Eastern countries, including Bahrain, Jordan, the UAE, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia, have been affected by the fallout as Iran retaliates.
The base is formally under the PMF but is primarily used by Kataib Hezbollah. Security officials and PMF sources told AFP that the airstrikes targeted Kataib Hezbollah’s 47th Brigade.
Kataib Hezbollah on Thursday called on its fighters to “prepare to wage a war of attrition that may be long-term, exceeding the estimates of the US administration.