Iraqi Officials Suspect Israel Targeted New Chinese Air Defense Stockpiles

Iraqi officials now suspect Israel conducted recent strikes on two sites holding Chinese-made air defense systems. The weapons were supplied by Iran to local militias. This assessment comes from sources cited by the London-based paper Asharq Al-Awsat on Saturday. The report suggests the attacks were a direct response to new shipments arriving at those locations. No official confirmation has been released by any government yet.

The timeline of these events points to a rapid escalation in the region. Last week saw strikes on the two specific storage locations. One source noted that the armed group considered the site very hard to detect. The attacks appeared to occur soon after the weapons arrived. Earlier, on October 17, an explosion occurred at a Popular Mobilization Forces base in Baghdad. The government called it an accident. It injured five people near the East Canal area. A week has passed with no final update on that incident.

Further back, incidents in mid-October followed a blast on October 1. That strike affected warehouses linked to Iran-backed groups in and around Baghdad. These stores reportedly held drones for suicide attacks and reconnaissance. A security official said authorities had enough evidence to believe Israel was responsible. They have not determined the exact nature of the strikes but remain convinced of the link. The sequence of events suggests a pattern of targeting key military assets.

This is not the first time Iraq has pointed to Israel. Militias blamed Israel for strikes in 2019. They also cited Israel for a strike in Albukamal, Syria, near the Iraqi border. In May, reports emerged that Israel set up a secret airstrip in Iraq during the campaign against Iran. Other unconfirmed accounts describe Israeli jets flying through Iraqi airspace near the Iranian border. These flights were reportedly supported by midair refuelers. These reports add context to the current suspicions.

Iran has armed Iraqi militias for years. It has provided missiles and drones that can threaten Israel. These groups carried out many attacks after Hamas began its war on October 7, 2023. Since February, the US and Israel have conducted airstrikes. Iran has tried to turn Iraq into a frontline. It has carried out more than 1,000 strikes on the Kurdistan Region using drones and missiles. Iran and allied militias have mounted 600 attacks across Iraq. Some were aimed at US diplomatic sites.

The US withdrew its forces from Iraq on September 30. This was a deadline agreed with Baghdad over previous years. Washington has warned Americans against traveling to Baghdad. The newspaper linked earlier reports of China supplying weapons to Iran with the movement of systems to Iraq. It described that connection as unconfirmed. China's Foreign Ministry denied those reports on July 28. Separately, an Iran-backed militia attacked Saudi Arabia's East-West Pipeline with a drone. This reportedly came from Iraq's Maysan province near the Iranian border. That crossing is now closed amid US pressure and Iraqi concerns about trafficking.

Asharq Al-Awsat concluded that these strikes signal a new round of conflict. The original incidents date to early and mid-October. A source in the Shi'ite Coordination Framework said ruling party leaders predicted renewed war between Washington and Tehran. They expected it to begin with the destruction of Iraqi factions' capabilities. Most major groups in the PMF, except the Badr Organization, are sanctioned by the US as terrorist organizations. The Islamic Resistance in Iraq recently claimed Iraqi airspace was being violated. This statement highlights the growing tension in the region.