A ‘huge explosion’ was heard at a pro-Iran military base in Babylon just south of Baghdad, Iraq, on early Saturday morning mere hours after Israel struck targets in Isfahan, Iran
A “huge explosion” was heard at an Iranian-backed military base in Iraq – less than 24 hours after Israeli airstrikes hit targets in Iran as six are reported wonder and one is dead.
The explosion reportedly occurred at the country’s Iranian-backed Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) in the Babylon Governorate just south of Baghdad, an Iraqi security official told CNN.
It was reported that the explosion took out an ammunition depot at the base. A statement from the PMF obtained by Sky News reads: “An explosion occurred at the headquarters of the Popular Mobilization Forces at the Kalsu military base in the Al-Mashrou district on the highway, north of Babil Governorate.”
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It continued: “An investigation team immediately arrived at the scene, and the explosion caused material losses and injuries. We will provide you with the details once the preliminary investigation is completed.”
Sky News reported that at least six PMF members were wounded following the explosion, which has been described as a series of five explosions, not just one. A hospital source told the publication that one person also died from the explosion.
An Israeli official added that the country is not responsible for the attacks despite rumours that Israel might be involved, given the pro-Iran leaning of the base and the recent attacks the country launched in Iran on early Friday morning.
US Central Command also said the explosion was not American in nature, either, according to CNN, leaving experts wondering where the explosions could have come from.
Horrifying videos shot of the scene and shared with local news reporters and policy institutes show a wall of fire at the facility following the blast.
The explosion itself was a giant fireball that lit up the night sky, not unlike the blasts seen early Friday morning when Israel attacked Isfahan with missiles and drones. A pillar of smoky fire rose into the sky from the facility, almost like a funeral pyre.
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One video shot from the other side of the military base shows soldiers scrambling to safety on a wall as they seem to be attempting to figure out what happened. What appears to be a giant firetruck as large as a lorry appeared to enter the facility as it made its way toward the fires seen burning in the distance.
The Al-Monitor’s senior news editor Joyce Karam reported one person was killed in the explosion, but that has not been confirmed. She attached a harrowing video to her post on X, formerly known as Twitter, showing the response of the authorities to the explosions.
On early Friday morning, the Israeli strikes in Isfahan struck dangerously close to a nuclear plant the region is known for as it also struck near an airbase. There was little physical damage from the blasts, which appeared to be more of a warning from Israel than an actual retaliatory attack by the country.
The strikes caused Iran to turn on its air defence systems, which were the cause of some of the explosions residents in the area reported hearing. The threat seemed to disappear as quickly as it appeared, though it did cause air traffic to be disrupted for a couple of hours in the region, with planes forced to circumnavigate the area.