Baghdad Officials Trace Blasts to Chinese Systems

A dispute over the origin of recent explosions in Baghdad centers on two suspected Israeli strikes that targeted Chinese-made air defense systems stored by Iranian-backed militias. Iraqi authorities believe the attacks occurred last week at sites selected for their perceived inaccessibility.

The London-based newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat reported on Saturday that the weapons involved were shoulder-fired systems supplied by Tehran. The publication noted that the specific model of the equipment was not identified and that some details remained unverified. One source stated that the armed group responsible for the storage locations believed the spots were difficult to detect.

The suspected strikes followed the arrival of the shipments at both depots. A separate incident on October 17 resulted in an explosion at a Popular Mobilition Forces base in Baghdad's East Canal area. The PMF, a paramilitary body that includes many Iranian-aligned groups, labeled the event an accident. The blast struck a stockpile of obsolete ammunition and injured five people.

Iraqi government officials promised an investigation into the East Canal incident, but no updates have been released more than a week later. An anonymous official confirmed that authorities are still examining the circumstances. This event follows an earlier series of explosions on October 1 that affected warehouses linked to Iran-backed groups in and around the capital.

Those earlier sites reportedly held drones designed for suicide attacks and reconnaissance missions. A security official told the newspaper that Iraqi investigators had not definitively determined the nature of the strikes but possessed enough evidence to attribute them to Israel. The timing of the incidents has drawn attention to the growing tension between Baghdad and regional powers.

This is not the first time Iraqi factions have blamed Israel for damage to their infrastructure. Militias previously attributed strikes in 2019 and a hit in Albukamal, Syria, to Israeli action. In May, The Wall Street Journal reported that Israel established a secret airstrip in Iraq during its campaign against Iran. Unconfirmed accounts also describe Israeli fighter jets using Iraqi airspace near the Iranian border with midair refueling support.

Iran has equipped Iraqi militias with missiles and drones for years, enabling the groups to threaten Israeli territory. Following the Hamas war that began in October 2023, these groups launched numerous attacks on Israel. Since the US and Israel began airstrikes in February, Iran has worked to make Iraq a frontline for the conflict.

The Iranian military has conducted more than 1,000 drone and missile 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, a deadline agreed upon in previous years, and has advised Americans against travel to Baghdad.

Asharq Al-Awsat linked the current events to earlier reports of China supplying weapons to Iran, though it described that connection as unconfirmed. China's Foreign Ministry denied the reports on July 28. Recently, an Iran-backed militia attacked Saudi Arabia's East-West Pipeline with a drone launched from Iraq's Maysan province. The border crossing was closed afterward due to US pressure and Iraqi concerns about trafficking.

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, excluding the Badr Organization, are sanctioned by the US as terrorist organizations. The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a coalition of militias, issued a statement claiming Iraqi airspace was being violated.