2 weeks ago
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Wreckage from Iranian missiles and drones destined for Israel has been discovered across Iraq following Saturday night’s foiled bombardment.
Over the weekend, US-led coalition forces in Iraq successfully intercepted dozens of the projectiles, a source close to the Iraqi government told The National.
The majority of the Iranian drones and missiles were shot down above key areas including Baghdad, Najaf, and the semi-autonomous Kurdish region in northern Iraq.
US anti-missile systems stationed at the Ain Al Asad airbase in Anbar province were pivotal in neutralizing the airborne threats. Additionally, a US Patriot battery in the Kurdish region intercepted at least one ballistic missile, which subsequently crashed in the Soran district near Erbil.
Following the attack, which involved more than 300 drones and missiles launched by Iran towards Israeli territory, the Iraqi landscape was littered with remnants of the intercepted weapons. Notably, parts of a drone were found in an open area outside Najaf. No casualties have been reported from the incident, another official said.
Along with the US, Israel was aided by the UK, Jordan and France in the mission to intercept the barrage.
The Iranian offensive came in retaliation to an Israeli airstrike on April 1 on Tehran's consulate building in Damascus, which resulted in the death of two high-ranking Iranian military officials plus other IRGC personnel.
Despite the chaotic aftermath, the Iraqi government has yet to issue a formal denunciation of Iran’s use of its airspace for the attacks.
A spokesman for the Iran-backed Al Nujaba militia in Iraq criticised Baghdad after the attack, saying the intervention of US forces "undoubtedly embarrasses the Iraqi government, which seeks to take a clear position on the American military presence" in the country.
The US Central Command said it “successfully engaged and destroyed” more than 80 one-way attack drones and at least six ballistic missiles intended to strike Israel from Iran and Yemen. It was the first direct attack from Iranian soil to target the Jewish state after years of shadow warfare.
