The 2019 Israeli airstrikes in Iraq began as unidentified

drone Drone or The Drones may refer to: Science and technology Vehicle * Drone, a type of uncrewed vehicle, a class of robot ** Unmanned aerial vehicle or aerial drone *** Unmanned combat aerial vehicle ** Unmanned ground vehicle or ground drone ** Unma ...

aircraft An aircraft ( aircraft) is a vehicle that is able to flight, fly by gaining support from the Atmosphere of Earth, air. It counters the force of gravity by using either Buoyancy, static lift or the Lift (force), dynamic lift of an airfoil, or, i ...

bombings of the Iranian-backed

Popular Mobilization Forces The Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF; ), also known as the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), is an Iranian-backed paramilitary umbrella group that operates within Iraq. Although formally and legally part of the Iraqi Armed Forces and reportin ...

(PMF) bases in

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

starting on 19 July 2019. The strikes targeted Iranian proxy groups, based in Iraq, as well as

IRGC The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), also known as the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, is a multi-service primary branch of the Iranian Armed Forces. It was officially established by Ruhollah Khomeini as a military branch in May 1979 i ...

operatives. Several Iraqi, Iranian and Israeli officials have blamed

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

for the attacks, though Israel had initially neither confirmed nor denied its role. Israeli Prime Minister

Benjamin Netanyahu Benjamin Netanyahu (born 21 October 1949) is an Israeli politician who has served as the prime minister of Israel since 2022, having previously held the office from 1996 to 1999 and from 2009 to 2021. Netanyahu is the longest-serving prime min ...

hinted responsibility for the attacks on 20 August 2019, claiming that "Iran is not immune anywhere". Israel confirmed responsibility for the strikes on 22 August 2019, which was later followed by a US confirmation.

Timeline

Amirli strike

On 19 July 2019 unidentified drones bombed a base belonging to the Iranian-backed Popular Mobilization Forces base in

, close to the town of

Amirli Amirli (; ) also spelt Amerli, is a predominantly Shia Turkmen town in Saladin Governorate, Iraq, approximately 100 km from the Iranian border. It is the centre of a farming region. History 2007 bombing On June 7, 2007, a bombing in the ...

. An airstrike wounded two Iranians after it struck a base that housed advisers from Iran and Lebanon, while a second strike hit a weapons depot, causing a large fire and the destruction of several

ballistic missiles A ballistic missile is a type of missile that uses projectile motion to deliver warheads on a target. These weapons are powered only during relatively brief periods—most of the flight is unpowered. Short-range ballistic missiles (SRBM) typica ...

. The US Central Command CENTCOM denied responsibility for the bombing. Iran reported on July 30 that the attack had killed a senior

Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), also known as the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, is a multi-service primary branch of the Islamic Republic of Iran Armed Forces, Iranian Armed Forces. It was officially established by Ruhollah Khom ...

(IRGC) commander Abu Alfazl Sarabian.

Camp Ashraf strike

On 27 July 2019

Camp Ashraf Camp Ashraf or Ashraf City is a camp in Iraq's Diyala Governorate, having the character of a small city with all basic infrastructure, and the former headquarters of the People's Mujahedin of Iran (PMOI/MEK). The population used to be around 3,40 ...

, one of the biggest bases in Iraq, was attacked by what Iraqi military sources described as one or more

Israeli Air Force The Israeli Air Force (IAF; , commonly known as , ''Kheil HaAvir'', "Air Corps") operates as the aerial and space warfare branch of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). It was founded on May 28, 1948, shortly after the Israeli Declaration of Indep ...

jets. The attack struck a consignment of ballistic missile launchers and living quarters of IRGC officers and PMF personnel. Some sources reported that up to 40 people were killed in the attack. According to Iraqi and Iranian sources the attacks were carried out by Israeli

F-35 The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is an American family of single-seat, single-engine, supersonic stealth strike fighters. A multirole combat aircraft designed for both air superiority and strike missions, it also has electronic warf ...

aircraft.

Southern Baghdad strike

Explosions rocked a PMF weapons depot in southern

Baghdad Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...

on 12 August killing one and injuring 29 civilians. A spokesman for Iraq's Interior Minister said that an examination of the warehouse showed that the explosion was not caused by an internal failure but by a third party that attacked the warehouse and caused a fire. Iraq closed its airspace to all unauthorized flights on 13 August, including to the US coalition. Iraqi Prime Minister also ordered all military camps and munitions warehouses to be moved outside Iraqi cities following the explosions that killed one civilian and wounded 29.

30th Brigade's headquarters strike

On 17 August, unidentified warplanes targeted the 30th Brigade's headquarters, which is affiliated with the

Balad strike

Blasts hit a PMF arms depot on 20 August close to the

Balad Air Base Balad Air Base () , is an Iraqi Air Force base located near Balad in the Sunni Triangle north of Baghdad, Iraq. Built in the early 1980s, it was originally named Al-Bakr Air Base. In 2003 the base was captured by the United States Armed Force ...

. A PMF source said the arms depot was specifically targeted by an aerial bombardment.

Al-Qa'im

On 25 August 2019 a PMF convoy was hit by two drones near the Syrian–Iraqi border town of Al-Qa'im, killing six, including a senior commander. PMF blamed Israel for the attack. It came as

Hezbollah Hezbollah ( ; , , ) is a Lebanese Shia Islamist political party and paramilitary group. Hezbollah's paramilitary wing is the Jihad Council, and its political wing is the Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc party in the Lebanese Parliament. I ...

leader

Hassan Nasrallah Hassan Nasrallah (, ; 31 August 196027 September 2024) was a Lebanese cleric and politician who served as the third secretary-general of Hezbollah, a Shia Islamist political party and militia, from 1992 until his assassination in 2024. Bor ...

was making a speech in response to an alleged Israeli attack at their stronghold in

Dahieh Dahieh (, ) is a predominantly Shia Muslim suburb in the south of Beirut, in the Baabda District of Lebanon. It has a minority of Sunni Muslims, Christians, and a Palestinian refugee camp with 20,000 inhabitants. It is a residential and commerc ...

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

Hit strike

On 20 September, loud explosions were reported at a warehouse near the city of Hit in Anbar Province, northwest of Baghdad. Sky News Arabic reported that after the blast, shells were launched into neighboring areas, indicating an arms depot may have been hit. Al-Arabiya also reported that the warehouse was used to store weaponry and belonged to the Popular Mobilization Forces. al-Arabiya quoted an Iraqi officer claiming there was a drone in the area at the time of the explosions. As result of the explosions, 21 Iraqi militants of the Popular Mobilization Forces were killed.

Tafuf Brigade strike

On 22 September, violent explosions caused by airstrikes took place at a base belonging to "Liwa al-Tafuf" 13th Brigade of the Popular Mobilisation Units. An Iraqi security official told ''The New Arab'' that drones may have been used in the attack.

Responsibility

On 22 August 2019 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that Israel had been carrying out operations against Iran in Iraq, saying "We are working against Iranian consolidation—in Iraq as well." US officials also confirmed that Israel was behind the attacks later in the day.

References

{{Iran–Israel proxy conflict Attacks in Iraq in 2019 July 2019 in Iraq August 2019 in Iraq September 2019 in Iraq 2019 airstrikes 2019 in international relations Airstrikes conducted by Israel Cross-border operations into Iraq Iran–Israel proxy war Iraq–Israel relations History of Saladin Governorate 2010s in Diyala Governorate 2019 in Baghdad Baghdad airstrikes Balad, Iraq History of Al Anbar Governorate 2019 building bombings Building bombings in Iraq Airstrikes in Iraq