Iraqi authorities have announced a 72-hour extension of the country's airspace closure, coinciding with a significant field escalation that includes drone strikes on US bases and airstrikes targeting Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) positions, while an armed faction declared a conditional truce.
The Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority stated in an official release that airspace will remain closed to all flights until Sunday afternoon as a temporary precautionary measure. The decision, now in its 20th day, is based on ongoing security assessments regarding the regional repercussions of the Israeli-US conflict with Iran.
On the ground, a security source told Mada Al-Rafidain News that the US logistical support camp near Baghdad International Airport was attacked by two drones, with no immediate reports on the extent of the damage or casualties. A similar drone attack targeted the radar system at the Umm Qasr naval base in Basra province.
In a related development, the Iraqi Ministry of Defense announced that a fire broke out inside the Kirkuk Airbase following an attack with a military projectile, reflecting the widening scope of targets to include multiple strategic bases.
Meanwhile, the PMF reported the deaths of two fighters and the injury of five others, one critically, following a series of airstrikes they described as a "Zionist-American aggression." The strikes targeted the positions of the 30th, 31st, and 6th Brigades in the Nineveh Plains and Salah al-Din province. The PMF noted that rescue teams were hindered by continuous aircraft overhead.
Conversely, Kata'ib Hezbollah announced a 5-day halt to operations targeting the US Embassy in Baghdad. The group conditioned the continuation of the truce on ending the bombardment of residential areas in Iraq and Beirut's suburbs, and restricting CIA personnel to the embassy compound, warning of intensified strikes if the conditions are breached.
