Baghdad suspects Israel of strikes on Chinese MANPADS — Asharq Al-Awsat
Iraqi authorities suspect Israel of possible strikes on two sites in Baghdad where, according to sources, Chinese man-portable air-defense systems recently delivered from Iran were stored. As Asharq Al-Awsat reports, Iraqi officials still have no final information about who carried out the attacks or how they were conducted.
Explosion at a Popular Mobilization Forces facility
Separately, on October 17, Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces said they had contained a fire following an explosion at a depot storing damaged ammunition at one of their facilities in Baghdad’s Eastern Canal area. According to them, five people sustained minor injuries. An investigation into the circumstances of the incident is ongoing, and its results have not been made public for more than a week.
Sources cited by the publication claim that a suspected strike on the two sites destroyed a large batch of Chinese air-defense systems transferred to Iraqi groups loyal to Tehran. According to them, the attack occurred shortly after the cargo arrived at the warehouses. Asharq Al-Awsat notes that the information, including about the delivery of these systems to Iraq, could not be independently verified.
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One source also reported a series of explosions that began on October 1 and affected warehouses of armed formations in various areas around Baghdad. According to the sources, some of these sites stored drones for reconnaissance and attacks.
Version of Israeli involvement
An Iraqi security official told the publication that Baghdad has grounds to believe Israel was involved in the strikes on the warehouses, but the mechanism of the attacks has not been established. Iraqi authorities also have no convincing evidence that would conclusively identify those responsible for the incident.
The report mentions conflicting information about flights of Israeli fighter jets supported by tanker aircraft near the Iranian border in Iraqi airspace, but there is no independent confirmation of this information. According to an Iraqi official, Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi and the military command are gathering additional information, including regarding a possible link between the incidents and reports of airspace violations after the withdrawal of coalition forces on September 30, 2026. On July 28, China’s Foreign Ministry denied reports about the sale or supply by the PRC of missiles and air-defense systems to Iran.
