Tasnim News Agency, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons, Cropped by Resist the Mainstream

An explosion at an Iraqi military base housing a pro-Iranian militia resulted in one fatality and eight injuries, according to security officials.

The base, located approximately 50km south of Baghdad at Kalso (in the Babil province, home of the ancient city of Babylon), experienced this incident early Saturday morning.

The militia involved, the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), an umbrella group of several pro-Iranian militias, attributed the explosion to an attack.

Iraq’s military has clarified that no drones or fighter jets were detected in the area prior to or during the explosion. The PMF’s chief of staff, Abdul Aziz al-Mohammedawi, visited the base to inspect the site and review investigative findings.

The Iraqi military is actively investigating the cause of the explosion and subsequent fire.

A statement from the Iraqi military supported the absence of any aerial activity, noting, “The air defense command report confirmed, through technical efforts and radar detection, that there was no drone or fighter jets in the air space of Babil before and during the explosion,” as reported by the BBC.

The Pentagon swiftly denied any U.S. involvement in this incident, countering claims on social media about American air strikes in Iraq. The incident feeds into the larger narrative of ongoing confrontations in the region. This includes a presumed Israeli strike near Isfahan in Iran and a significant drone and missile attack by Tehran on Israel, both recent and indicative of escalating conflicts.

The Iranian foreign minister has issued a stark warning, stating Iran will respond with “maximum” force to any significant attacks on its interests by Israel, reflecting the severe nature of these international relations.

The backdrop of these events is a longstanding shadow war, now escalating to relatively minor but unprecedentedly direct engagements for the first time in the acrimonious history between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the State of Israel. The PMF has historically targeted U.S. interests in Iraq, attempting to force U.S. troop withdrawals, while the U.S. has responded with targeted strikes against these militias.

These new developments ensue the week after Israel, in collaboration with the U.S. military recently shot down several Iranian drones targeting Israel, amidst heightened tensions and anticipated retaliatory actions from Tehran.

This response by the U.S. forces ensues after Iran’s threats of retaliation following Israel’s airstrikes that killed senior Iranian military commanders.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) also claimed it fired cruise missiles at targets in Israel, an effort that was part of a larger strategy to penetrate Israeli defenses. In response, Israel, supported by the U.S. and other partners, strategized to intercept these threats before they could reach Israeli airspace.

Iran claimed that this response is part of a completed retaliation and said that it will not continue to attack Israel unless further provoked, via its mission to the United Nations.

“Conducted on the strength of Article 51 of the UN Charter pertaining to legitimate defense, Iran’s military action was in response to the Zionist regime’s aggression against our diplomatic premises in Damascus. The matter can be deemed concluded,” the statement read. It remains to be seen whether this remains the position of the Iranian authorities after Israel’s recent retaliatory action.