Iraqi Officials Link Baghdad Depot Blasts to Israeli Strikes on Chinese Air Defense Stockpiles

Iraqi security officials believe Israel conducted strikes on two locations in Baghdad where Iranian-backed militias stored shoulder-fired air defense systems of Chinese origin.

The assessment comes from sources cited by Asharq Al-Awsat, a London-based Arabic-language newspaper, which reported the news on Saturday.

The report did not identify the specific Chinese systems involved and noted that some details remain unconfirmed.

One source stated that the armed group responsible for selecting the storage site considered it difficult to reach or detect.

The suspected attacks occurred last week, shortly after the shipments arrived at both sites.

On October 17, an explosion occurred at a Popular Mobilization Forces base in Baghdad's East Canal area.

The PMF, an umbrella organization for many Iranian-backed militias that also serves as a state paramilitary force, initially described the event as an accident.

The Iraqi government pledged to investigate, and the newspaper reported that the blast hit a stockpile of obsolete ammunition.

Five people were injured in the October 17 explosion.

An anonymous Iraqi official said authorities were still examining the circumstances, although more than a week had passed without a public update.

Security sources linked the mid-October incident to a previous event on October 1.

During that earlier incident, warehouses associated with Iran-backed groups in and around Baghdad were affected, reportedly including stores of drones used for suicide attacks and reconnaissance missions. A security official said authorities had gathered enough evidence to attribute the strikes to Israel, though they had not formally determined the nature of the attacks at the time. It is not the first time Iraqi officials have suspected Israel of striking militia assets. Iranian-backed groups blamed Israel for operations in 2019 and for a strike near Albukamal, Syria. In May, The Wall Street Journal reported that Israel established a secret airstrip in Iraq during its campaign against Iran. Asharq Al-Awsat also cited unconfirmed accounts of Israeli fighter jets flying through Iraqi airspace near the Iranian border, supported by midair refuelers. Iran has supplied Iraqi militias with missiles and drones for years. Since the US and Israel began airstrikes in February, Iran has used Iraq as a frontline, carrying out 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, as agreed with Baghdad, and has advised Americans to avoid travel to Baghdad. The newspaper linked the recent strikes to reports of China supplying weapons to Iran, though it described that connection as unconfirmed. China's Foreign Ministry denied those reports on July 28. An Iran-backed militia also attacked Saudi Arabia's East-West Pipeline with a drone from Iraq's Maysan province. The crossing has since closed under US pressure. A source in the Shi'ite Coordination Framework said ruling party leaders predicted renewed war between Washington and Tehran would begin with the destruction of Iraqi factions' 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.