Shafaq News- Erbil

A drone attempted to strike Erbil International Airport, the latest in a series of recent attacks near the airport, Shafaq News has learned on Tuesday.

According to our correspondent, air defenses at Harir base, located within the airport and hosting US forces, intercepted and shot down the drone before it could reach its intended target. Residents nearby reported hearing a loud explosion.

Earlier today, Saraya Awliya al-Dam, an Iraqi armed faction within the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, also claimed responsibility for a drone attack on a hotel in Erbil, alleging it was hosting US soldiers. The target and any resulting damage could not be independently verified, and authorities in Erbil and the US have not commented on the claim.

The incidents come amid a sharp increase in drone activity and airstrikes across Iraq since February 28, following the outbreak of direct hostilities between the United States, Israel, and Iran. Iraqi air defenses have intercepted multiple drones near key military installations in Baghdad, Nineveh, Dhi Qar, and the Kurdistan Region, while several airstrikes have targeted positions of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) in Al-Anbar, Babil, Diyala, and Al-Muthanna, causing casualties.

Read more: Post-Khamenei Iraq: Factional pressure Vs. state sovereignty