Heavy airstrikes target Hashd al-Shaabi facilities across Iraq, while reports indicate Iranian drone strikes on the US embassy and oil fields in Saudi Arabia.
Regional Escalation Intensifies with Iraq Airstrikes and Iranian Retaliation
Amid the broader regional conflict sparked by the US-Israeli "Operation Lion's Roar," hostilities have expanded significantly across Iraq, Iran, and Saudi Arabia. On March 9, 2026, Hebrew-language news channels aggregators widely reported a wave of devastating airstrikes against Iranian-aligned targets in Iraq, alongside retaliatory Iranian drone strikes aimed at American and Saudi interests in the Gulf.
Heavy Casualties Reported in Strikes Across Iraq
According to
Abu Ali Express—a widely viewed Israeli channel known for its anti-Iran and anti-Hamas editorial stance—Iraqi sources reported
35 killed and dozens wounded in a nighttime attack carried out by "Israeli/American fighter jets." The strikes targeted facilities belonging to Brigade 19 of the Shiite Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Forces) in the Akashat area near the Syrian-Iraqi border.
Abu Saleh The Arab Desk corroborated this geographic expansion, noting that
heavy explosions were also heard in the Baghdad area, and that the "Engineering battalion of the 14th division of the Iraqi army in Makhmour was attacked." The channel framed these strikes as part of a continuous wave following morning assaults on Hashd al-Shaabi targets. Similarly, the pro-Israel channel
Yediotnews25 cited the Iraqi News Agency reporting
casualties among militias in a previous attack in Kirkuk province.
Iranian Retaliation in the Gulf and Internal Blasts
Simultaneous to the strikes in Iraq, Iranian forces appear to have launched significant counter-attacks in the Persian Gulf.
News_il_h, an uncensored Israeli news channel with a pro-US and pro-Israel bias, reported
Iranian UAV attacks against the US embassy in Riyadh and oil fields in Saudi Arabia. This development was identically reported by
Yediotnews25.
Inside Iranian territory, the domestic situation remains volatile following the recent assassination of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and mass infrastructure destruction. Yediotnews25 briefly noted reports of explosions in the city of Shiraz on the same day.
Cross-Narrative Analysis: Framing the Casualties
While all source channels provided for this report are Hebrew-language aggregators targeting Israeli audiences, their reliance on Arabic-language media (Al-Arabiya, Iraqi News Agency) reveals a stark contrast in regional terminology and narrative framing.
Target Definitions: The Hebrew channels consistently contextualize the targets as "pro-Iranian militias" and emphasize their destruction. For example, Yediotnews25 cited a Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya report of ~20 killed and wounded, adding their own framing that the "pro-Iranian militia base... was destroyed."
Official vs. Paramilitary Framing: Conversely, the translated Arabic sources quoted by these channels use official state and military nomenclature, describing the targets as "Brigade 19 of the Shiite Hashd al-Shaabi organization" or the "Engineering battalion of the 14th division of the Iraqi army." This highlights a critical divergence: Arabic sources treat the casualties as elements of the formalized Iraqi military apparatus, whereas the Israeli sources frame them strictly as illegitimate "pro-Iranian" proxies.
- Consensus on Destruction: Despite differing terminology, both the translated Arabic sources and the Hebrew aggregators completely agree on the factual extent of the damage—confirming widespread destruction of bases and high casualty counts across Akashat, Kirkuk, and Makhmour.