Pro-Iran militia claims drone attack on Erbil airbase

ERBIL — A pro-Iran Iraqi militia claimed responsibility Sunday evening for a drone attack on an airbase near Erbil International Airport, as explosions were heard across much of the city and fire was visible rising near the airport.

Saraya Awliya al-Dam said in a statement that the attack was carried out “in retaliation for the blood of Wali Allah Ali Khamenei,” the Iranian supreme leader killed in joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Saturday.

Videos submitted to 964media showed projectiles being intercepted in the sky by an air defense system. Heavy smoke and fire were visible in some areas near the airport, with the fire seen to suddenly expand. No immediate reports of casualties or damage were available.

Debris from falling projectiles was seen falling on Erbil’s 120 Meter Road.

The attack is the latest in a series of strikes on Erbil since Saturday. On that day, projectiles targeting the air base near the airport and the U.S. Consulate were intercepted, though debris from one started a residential fire in Erbil’s Minara neighborhood.

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella label for a network of Iran-aligned Iraqi factions, claimed Saturday it carried out 16 drone operations against U.S. bases in Iraq and the region.