The Media Line: Rocket Attack Destroys Iraqi Military Aircraft Near Baghdad Airport 

Rocket Attack Destroys Iraqi Military Aircraft Near Baghdad Airport 

By The Media Line Staff 

An Iraqi Air Force Antonov-132 aircraft was destroyed in a rocket attack early Monday on a military base near Baghdad International Airport, Iraq’s Defense Ministry said, in an incident that pointed to the continuing spillover from the regional war triggered by US-Israeli strikes on Iran. The ministry said the attack took place at 1:55 a.m. local time, with rockets launched from the outskirts of Baghdad, destroying the aircraft but causing no casualties. 

In a statement, the ministry called the strike a “cowardly criminal act” directed at Iraq’s military institution and its defense capabilities. It said technical teams had begun assessing the damage and working to determine the launch points. 

No group immediately claimed responsibility, and Iraqi authorities had not publicly identified the attackers. Suspicion is likely to fall on Iran-backed Iraqi armed groups, which have repeatedly targeted military and US-linked sites around Baghdad airport in recent weeks. Those factions have operated in Iraq for years and have stepped up attacks as fighting spread across the region following the joint US-Israeli campaign against Iran that began on Feb. 28. 

Iraq has tried to avoid being pulled deeper into the confrontation, but its territory has long been a battleground for rival powers. Baghdad hosts US personnel and maintains ties with Washington while also contending with armed groups aligned with Tehran. That balancing act has grown more difficult as Iran and allied groups have responded to attacks on Iranian territory by striking US and Israeli interests across the Middle East. 

The attack near Baghdad airport did not cause casualties, but it dealt a visible blow to Iraq’s armed forces and raised fresh questions about the government’s ability to protect military sites near the capital. Iraqi officials have repeatedly said they will not allow the country’s sovereignty to be violated, yet such attacks keep exposing the gap between that goal and conditions on the ground.