Drone strikes hit military sites across Iraq hours before Israel-Iran ‘ceasefire’ takes effect

BAGHDAD — A series of drone attacks struck military sites in Baghdad and southern Iraq early Tuesday, targeting radar installations and surveillance infrastructure just hours before a ceasefire between Iran and Israel took effect.

Lt. Gen. Walid Al-Tamimi, head of Baghdad Operations Command, confirmed that a drone of unknown origin targeted Taji Military Base, located north of the capital. “A drone of unknown origin targeted one of the locations in Taji Base. There are no human casualties,” he told the Iraqi News Agency.

Maj. Gen. Saad Maan, head of the Security Media Cell, said in a voice note to journalists that “the current security situation is the targeting of Taji Base with two drones. The first destroyed one of the radars, and the second landed near an electric generator.” A photo circulating online appeared to show the radar system engulfed in flames.

Shortly after the strike on Taji, a security source told AFP that a drone also targeted the radar system at the Imam Ali Air Base in Dhi Qar governorate. The extent of damage at the southern site has not been officially confirmed.

Another drone reportedly crashed in Radwaniya, about 10 kilometers west of Baghdad International Airport, an area that includes a base housing U.S. troops assigned to the international coalition against ISIS.

The Taji base previously hosted U.S. forces and was a frequent target of rocket attacks. Though no American troops are currently stationed at Taji or Imam Ali, the radar systems at both sites are believed to contribute to regional air surveillance. Officials say radar data from these installations may have been used to help detect Iranian drones during recent hostilities between Iran and Israel.

While Iran has pledged retaliation for the recent U.S. strikes on its nuclear sites—including what it described as an attack on a U.S. base in Qatar the night before—no direct cross-border strikes have been reported since. The drone operations in Iraq are believed to have been carried out by Iraqi armed factions aligned with Iran, suggesting the attacks originated from within Iraqi territory.

The strikes came just hours before a ceasefire between Iran and Israel took effect at 7 a.m. Baghdad time (0400 GMT) on Tuesday. U.S. President Donald Trump announced the truce in a post on his Truth Social platform, writing: “THE CEASEFIRE IS NOW IN EFFECT. PLEASE DO NOT VIOLATE IT!”

AFP contributed to this report.