Middle East On Edge As 5 Explosions Rattle Pro-Iran Military Base In Iraq: Report

The ‘shadow war’ in the Middle East continues to escalate as five explosions at a military base belonging to an Iran-backed militia in Iraq killed three people on Saturday, reports said.

According to the CNN report, both Israel and US officials have said that neither of them was involved in the blast. On the other hand, Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian reportedly said that Iran would respond at an immediate and "maximum level" if Israel acts against its interests.

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The development comes after explosions were reported near the airport in Isfahan province, prompting Iran to deploy its air defence systems. Both Iran and Israel played down the incident, signalling a step to calm tensions.

The fresh flashpoint between Iran and Israel comes amid regional tensions over the war between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Earlier, on Saturday an airstrike hit a base used by the Popular Mobilisation Forces, a Shiite Iran-backed paramilitary force based in Iraq. The development comes a day after an alleged drone attack on Isfahan city. Iran said it has no plans for immediate retaliation against Israel.

The reports quoting officials said the attack in Isfahan was meant to send a signal rather than cause damage.

However, Iran's foreign minister on Friday had said Tehran was investigating the strike on Isfahan city, adding that so far a link to Israel had not been proven. The minister, Hossein Amirabdollahian, said Iran will respond at an immediate and "maximum level" if Israel acts against its interests.

Iran's Foreign Minister reportedly also said that the drones took off from inside Iran and flew for a few hundred meters before being downed. "They're... more like toys that our children play with, not drones," Amirabdollahian said.