ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Iraq’s Joint Operation’s Command on Saturday confirmed that “several” airstrikes in Babil’s Jarf al-Nasr killed at least two and injured three more, with Kataib Hezbollah claiming its personnel were targeted amid a large-scale US-Israeli offensive against Iran.

“At 11:50 this morning, the Jarf Al-Nasr area in the north of Babil province was subjected to several airstrikes, which resulted in the martyrdom of two people and the injury of three. We will provide you with additional details later,” the command said in a statement.

The attack comes shortly after the US and Israel began carrying out strikes against Iran, with several Middle Eastern countries having been caught in the midst of the hostilities. Explosions have been reported in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Bahrain, as Iran responds to the military aggression.

Iraq’s pro-Iran Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) said in a statement following the strikes that it has “begun taking the necessary measures to investigate the circumstances of the incident and assess the resulting damage, with continued field and security follow-up.”

AFP, citing sources in the Iran-backed Kataib Hezbollah armed group, reported that two of its members were in the bombing. 

Israel on Saturday morning launched what it called a "preemptive strike" on Iran, with explosions being seen in Tehran and a nationwide red alert being imposed across Israel, while US President Donald Trump announced that the US military has started “major combat operations” in Iran.

The US has repeatedly voiced concern over the presence of Iran-backed militias in Iraq and the influence Tehran casts over Baghdad. Washington has designated several Iraqi armed factions, including Kataib Hezbollah, as terrorist organizations and accused them of targeting US interests in the region.