Iraqi Officials Suspect Israel Destroyed Chinese Missile Caches

Five people were injured in an explosion at a paramilitary base in Baghdad on October 17, an event that has intensified suspicions that Israel targeted Iranian-backed militias. Iraqi authorities believe Israeli forces struck two locations last week where these groups stored shoulder-fired air defense systems of Chinese origin. The weapons were reportedly supplied by Tehran, though the specific model of the system was not identified.

Sources cited by the London-based newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat stated that the armed group which selected the storage site considered it difficult to detect. The suspected attack occurred shortly after the shipments arrived at both locations. A security official said Iraqi authorities had not determined the exact nature of the strikes but had gathered enough evidence to attribute the attacks to Israel.

The October 17 blast occurred at a headquarters of the Popular Mobilization Forces, or PMF, in the East Canal area of Baghdad. The PMF initially described the event as an accident, and the Iraqi government promised an investigation. The newspaper reported that the explosion hit a stockpile of obsolete ammunition. An anonymous Iraqi official said authorities were still examining the circumstances, noting that more than a week had passed without an official update.

The mid-October incident followed a separate event on October 1, when warehouses linked to Iran-backed groups in and around Baghdad were affected. These stores reportedly held drones intended for suicide attacks and reconnaissance missions. The strikes appear to be part of a wider pattern of conflict as Iran seeks to turn Iraq into a frontline against the US and Israel.

Since US and Israeli airstrikes began in February, Iran and allied militias have conducted 600 attacks across Iraq. These groups have also carried out more than 1,000 strikes on the Kurdistan Region using drones and missiles. The US withdrew its forces from Iraq on September 30, a deadline agreed upon with Baghdad, and has advised Americans to avoid traveling to the capital.

A source in the Shi'ite Coordination Framework said ruling party leaders predicted that renewed war between Washington and Tehran would begin with the destruction of Iraqi faction 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, recently published a statement claiming that Iraqi airspace was being violated.

China's Foreign Ministry denied reports in July that it was supplying weapons to Iran. Asharq Al-Awsat linked those earlier reports to the movement of the same systems to Iraq, although it described the connection as unconfirmed. A militia drone attack on Saudi Arabia's East-West Pipeline from Iraq's Maysan province has also led to the closure of that border crossing.