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Israel allegedly plans to strike Iraqi Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) ammo stores, according to Iraqi security expert Fadhil Abu Ragheef, cited by RT Arabic.
“Available information suggests that Israel is preparing to bomb the weapons caches of Hashd al-Sha’abi [the Arabic name of the PMU] forces, and not the command centers or fortifications of the fighters. This is quite likely to happen,” Fadhil Abu Ragheef said.
He added that “what happened yesterday in the weapons depots south of Baghdad may be part of the plan that Israel is preparing.”
The incident in question is a fire in an ammunition depot, resulting from an explosion in southern Baghdad. The camp, in which the depot was located belonged to the PMU.
Israeli and US sources have repeatedly called the PMU a coalition of ‘Iranian-backed militias’.
One person was killed and 29 were injured as a result of debris from exploding rockets and mortar shells which fell on nearby residential areas, according to a statement by Sayf al-Badr, spokesman of the Iraqi Health Ministry.
An anonymous Iraqi Interior Ministry official who said that an ammunition warehouse exploded inside a federal police military base, named Falcon, in Owerij area near the southern district of Doura – in Southern Baghdad.
The source added that the blast was followed by a series of explosions at the warehouse that sent a large amount of shrapnel to nearby houses.
#BREAKING
1)
Massive explosion rocks the Dora district of southern Baghdad, Iraq.
The military site is reportedly affiliated to the #Iran-backed Shiiite militias (PMU/PMF).
Blasts are ongoing – via @thestevennabilpic.twitter.com/OtOKRpzQS7— Heshmat Alavi (@HeshmatAlavi) August 12, 2019
There was an Iranian missile factory in Baghdad and now there is no more Iranian missile factory in Baghdad. pic.twitter.com/tgNCMeyjMu
— The Mossad: Elite Parody Division (@TheMossadIL) August 13, 2019
#Breaking: The blasts are still ongoing near Dora, Iraq, locals are talking about a weapons depot inside a PMF base going off, “the sounds of a missile being fired” is what one local described the ongoing blasts as #Iraq #Baghdad pic.twitter.com/67DKEjhbIo
— Steven nabil (@thestevennabil) August 12, 2019
These possible actions by Israel are substantiated by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who on May 7th arrived in Baghdad in an unannounced visit. He reportedly shared intelligence with Abdul-Mahdi about the allegedly increasing threat the PMU poses to the interests of the United States and its allies.
Before and after Pompeo’s visit, there were a series of attacks on targets in Iraq where U.S. personnel were based that were minor but noticeable.
The attacks did not cause any casualties, but they were part of a broader picture of a growing regional and international crisis.
Namely, a rocket hit an empty area approximately 1 km away from the US Embassy in Baghdad, which was almost entirely empty.
These attacks were quite dubious and there was much speculation that they were false flags used to justify increasing the pressure on Iran.
In possible response, there were two attacks on PMU camps, the first occurred on July 19th on Camp al-Shuhadaa near the town of Amerli in Salahddin province. The second on July 22nd on Camp Ashraf in Diyala province.
It was unclear who carried out the attacks, and there was an investigation launched into the first one, but after the second one any reports died out. Israeli media reports suggested that it was actually Israel that launched the two attacks with F-35 fighter jets.
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