Strike on Iraq's Babil province kills two as regional conflict widens

2026-02-28 - 11:22

At least two people were killed and three others wounded in a strike targeting the Jurf al-Nasr district of Iraq's Babil province on Saturday, according to an official statement from the Iraqi army. Local media reports indicated that the attack struck a position belonging to the Popular Mobilization Forces, the state-sponsored umbrella organization comprising various militias, though no group has yet claimed responsibility for the strike. The incident marks a dangerous expansion of the ongoing US-Israeli military operation against Iran into Iraqi territory. Iraq caught in crossfire The strike on Babil province underscores Iraq's precarious position as regional hostilities escalate following the joint US-Israeli attack on Iranian territory. Jurf al-Nasr, located approximately 50 kilometers south of Baghdad, has previously been a flashpoint for tensions between Iranian-backed factions and US-led coalition forces. With Iranian officials now vowing retaliation, Iraq faces the prospect of becoming a secondary theater in the widening confrontation, potentially destabilizing the country's fragile security architecture and complicating Baghdad's efforts to maintain neutrality. Iran warns of retaliatory strikes on US bases Separately, Iraq's Foreign Ministry revealed that Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had contacted his Iraqi counterpart Fuad Hussein to convey Tehran's position on the escalating crisis. According to the ministry, Araghchi informed Hussein that Iran would continue exercising its right to self-defense and that its forthcoming response would specifically target US military installations throughout the region. The communication effectively notifies Baghdad that Iranian retaliation may involve strikes launched from or through Iraqi territory or against US assets stationed in Iraq, placing the Iraqi government in an increasingly difficult diplomatic position. Regional spillover accelerates Saturday's events demonstrate how rapidly the US-Israeli operation against Iran is metastasizing into a broader regional confrontation. With missiles striking Iraqi territory and Tehran openly declaring its intention to hit American bases across the Middle East, neighboring countries including Türkiye face mounting concerns about conflict spillover. The Popular Mobilization Forces target in Babil represents just one potential flashpoint in a network of Iranian-aligned groups across Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen that could be drawn into the widening conflict. As diplomatic channels remain open but increasingly sidelined, the region braces for what may become a prolonged and multi-front confrontation.