12.03.2026 14:01
On the 13th day of the military operations initiated by the US and Israel against Iran on February 28, tensions in the region escalated further. Iran launched missile attacks on several locations in Israel, particularly in Tel Aviv, while that same night, airstrikes targeted sites belonging to Iranian-backed Hashd al-Shaabi forces in Iraq. A total of 39 people were killed in the attacks on the headquarters, and many others were injured.
The military operations initiated by the USA and Israel against Iran on February 28 fundamentally changed the security balance in the region. On the 13th day of the clashes, Iran launched a large-scale missile attack on Israeli territory. While many strategic points in the country, including Tel Aviv, were targeted, the sirens did not stop despite the intense efforts of the Israeli air defense systems.
A total of 39 people lost their lives in airstrikes targeting positions of Iran-backed Hashd al-Shaabi forces in Iraq during the night. In the Akkashat region of Anbar province, near the Syrian border in western Iraq, a headquarters belonging to the 19th Brigade of Hashd al-Shaabi was heavily bombarded by warplanes believed to belong to the USA. It was reported that the headquarters completely collapsed, raising concerns about an increase in the death toll due to those trapped under the rubble.
"WE CONDEMN THIS COWARDLY ATTACK"
Iraq's National Security Advisor Qasim Araji condemned the attack on the Hashd al-Shaabi headquarters in Anbar province near the Syrian border. A written statement was made after Araji's meeting with Italy's Ambassador to Baghdad, Niccolo Fontana. The statement said, "We condemn this cowardly attack. We emphasize that this attack is a violation of Iraq's sovereignty."
"THIS IS NOT JUST A MILITARY VIOLATION..."
On the other hand, Iraq's Prime Minister's Military Spokesman Sabah al-Numan also made a written statement regarding the issue. Numan stated, "This planned and repeated attack, targeting positions and headquarters indiscriminately, is not just a military violation. It is also a desperate attempt to undermine social peace and to jeopardize the security gains achieved through the blood of Iraqis and the sacrifices of martyrs," adding that Iraq will never allow itself to become a battleground for reckoning or a scene where national honor is violated.