Amid escalating regional tensions regarding the potential expansion of the Israeli war in Gaza, an explosion occurred inside a headquarters of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) in the Iraqi capital. A drone targeted a PMF location near the Iraqi Ministry of Interior in eastern Baghdad. The strike targeted the commander of the 12th Brigade of the Al-Nujaba Movement, with Iraqi factions confirming the death of "Abu Taqwa Al-Saidi," the commander of Brigade 12, as well as the logistics officer for the movement, "Ali Abu Sajad," with expectations of a third fatality, according to media affiliated with the PMF.
Security and medical sources revealed that the raid, which targeted a headquarters of Iran-affiliated armed factions in eastern Baghdad, resulted in at least two deaths and six injuries among the fighters of these factions, as reported by Reuters. Media linked to the PMF reported a third death in the attack on Baghdad. The Iraqi Prime Minister's office condemned the targeting of a security headquarters in Baghdad, stating that such actions undermine all agreements with the international coalition, and held the coalition responsible for the attack in Baghdad. Meanwhile, PMF leader Hadi Al-Amiri blamed the Iraqi government for the airstrike on the Al-Nujaba headquarters.
In response, the PMF heightened its alert status and entered a state of maximum readiness across all its locations, while military helicopters flew over Baghdad. This strike follows several attacks in recent weeks targeting military bases of the coalition that houses American forces in both Iraq and Syria, claimed by the group known as "The Islamic Resistance in Iraq," which includes Al-Nujaba and Hezbollah Iraq, among others.
The targeting of the PMF's 12th Brigade headquarters near the Ministry of Interior in Baghdad indicates the assassination of a leader from Al-Nujaba. Previously, this "resistance" had vowed to carry out more attacks on American bases unless Washington withdraws its unwavering support for Israel during its war against Gaza, which has now entered its third month. This attack also came just two days after the assassination of Hamas leader Saleh Al-Arouri in the southern suburbs of Beirut, a stronghold of Hezbollah, and nearly a week after the assassination of Tal Razi Mousavi, a senior IRGC leader in Syria.
It is well-known that these Iran-affiliated factions had called for and acted under the banner "Unity of Arenas," aimed at mobilizing multiple fronts in light of the ongoing confrontation and war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. Notably, Washington recorded over 100 attacks executed by Iran-affiliated factions against its forces in Iraq and Syria, just ten days after the outbreak of the war in Gaza, according to a previous report from an American military official.
