Several social media pages circulated a video claiming to show “the moment two Iranian commanders were targeted by an airstrike in Baghdad on Saturday night.” However, Annahar verified that this claim is false.

The video actually shows a drone strike on the Taji military camp in Baghdad in June 2023, targeting an Iraqi army radar following a ceasefire agreement between Iran and Israel.

The Iraqi Ministry of Interior officially denied any reports of a targeted explosion near Baghdad airport, confirming the security situation in the capital is stable.

Furthermore, Iranian, Arab, and international media sources did not report any assassination of Iranian commanders in Baghdad at that time.

What happened in June 2023?

On June 23, 2023, after the announcement of a ceasefire between Israel and Iran, a military radar at the Taji camp was targeted by small suicide drones, causing significant damage but no casualties.

The Iraqi Ministry of Defense issued an arrest warrant for Abbas Al-Ardawi for posting inciting content related to the incident.

In July, the Iraqi Prime Minister’s media office confirmed the attack was carried out using suicide drones launched from inside Iraq, identifying the parties involved.

A news report indicated initial investigations blamed Israel, but Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ Al Sudani expressed dissatisfaction and formed a new committee that concluded the responsible party is an influential Iraqi political group with a military wing.