A ‘massive explosion’ has been reported at an Iranian-backed military base in Iraq, less than 24 hours after Israel hit back at Iran.
The Popular Mobilisation Forces department in Babil province, which is south of Baghdad, said an air strike had hit Kalsu base.
The base reportedly houses PMU, Iraqi army and federal police forces.
A PMF statement said: “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.
“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.”
The UK has issued a warning call after Israel launched a revenge attack against Iran – with explosions rocking the country which closed its airspace following the strikes. A US official confirmed to ABC News that Israeli weapons hit a site in Iran as tensions hit boiling point in the Middle East.
Iran fired air defence batteries early on Friday morning across several provinces and Hossein Dalirian, a spokesman for Iran’s civilian space program, tweeted that several small” “quadcopter” drones had been shot down.
Mel Stride, the work and pensions secretary, told Sky News that both sides need to step back from the brink, with de-escalation “absolutely key”.
The semi-official Fars news agency reported on the sound of explosions over Isfahan, the country’s third-largest city, near its international airport.
Don’t miss…
Inside Iran’s vital nuclear hub near where explosions were heard [INSIGHT]
Israel shares horror moment man turns himself into Hamas [REPORT]
Anonymous ‘hacked’ IDF and ‘stole a quarter of a million documents’ [LATEST]
“The city of Ghahjaworstan is located near Isfahan Airport and the eighth hunting base of the Army Air Force,” FARS news said.
Isfahan, which is 350 kilometers (215 miles) south of Iran’s capital, Tehran, is home to a major airbase for the Iranian military as well as sites associated with its nuclear program.
