Media outlets in Iraq reported early Tuesday morning that an unmanned aerial vehicle struck a weapons depot belonging to pro-Iranian Shiite militias in the country's west, less than 24 hours after a mysterious airstrike killed 18 pro-Iranian militants on the Syria-Iraq border.
According to reports, the weapons depot targeted overnight Monday was located near the Iraqi city of Hit, in the country's western Anbar province that borders Syria.
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Some of the reports said that ambulances arrived at the facility but there were no confirmed reports of casualties as a result of the strike.
Several nearby villages were apparently also affected by the blast, Sky News Arabia reported.
Sunday's overnight strikes, as stated, killed at least 18 pro-Iranian militants and apparently targeted the Popular Mobilization Unit, an Iraqi Shiite militia, as well as an Iraqi arm of Hezbollah, at a base in the Syrian border town Al-Bukamal, according to sources who spoke with Saudi Arabia's Al Arabiya newspaper.
A Syrian security official cited by the government-controlled Syrian Central Military Media said the Israeli planes targeted a military camp that was being set up by the Syrian army and its allies. It said the structure was deserted at the time and the strike did not cause any casualties, contrary to the reports.
The official claimed the planes used Jordanian airspace and were "aided" by US forces stationed at the Tanf garrison, near Syria's eastern border with Jordan. "We hold the Americans and Israelis responsible for these acts of aggression which cross the red lines," said the official, who was not named.
An official with an Iranian-backed militia in Iraq also blamed Israel for the airstrikes.
The IDF had no comment on the airstrike overnight Sunday but said that rockets launched from Syria on Monday fell short and did not land in Israel. The IDF said the rockets were launched from the outskirts of Damascus by Shiite militants operating under the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. The army said it holds the Syrian government responsible for the attempted attack.
The attacks come amid rising tensions in the Middle East and the crisis between Iran and the US in the wake of the collapsing nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers.
Israel frequently attacks Iranian targets in Syria and is believed to have recently crash-landed drones in southern Beirut in a stronghold of the Iranian-backed Hezbollah terrorist group.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said last month that Iran has no immunity anywhere and that the Israeli military forces "will act – and currently are acting – against them."
Also Monday, Lebanon's Hezbollah said it shot down an Israeli drone over southern Lebanon, shortly after it crossed from Israel amid rising tensions along the border between the two countries in recent weeks.
A Hezbollah statement said the drone was downed with "suitable weapons" over the village of Ramieh and that the terrorist group now has it. The statement did not elaborate further.
The IDF said a "drone on a routine mission in northern Israel fell," without elaborating on what it was doing or how it was downed. It said that the drone was "simple" and that there was no risk of a breach of information if it fell into enemy hands. The military said the drone went down Sunday, not Monday, and the reason for the discrepancy was not clear.
Last month, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said his group would confront and shoot down any Israeli drones that enter Lebanese airspace, raising the potential for conflict amid heightened tensions.
