Drone Shot Down Near Baghdad Airport Amid Escalating US-Israel-Iran War

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — A drone was shot down on Wednesday near Baghdad’s international airport, marking the second such incident in two days as the ongoing war between the United States, Israel, and Iran intensifies across the region.

“A drone was downed near Baghdad airport, with no casualties or material damage reported,” an Iraqi security source told AFP. A second security official in Baghdad confirmed the interception.

The airport complex includes a military installation hosting a US diplomatic facility and previously accommodated troops from the US-led international coalition. The site has long been considered a strategic and symbolic target for Iran-aligned armed groups operating inside Iraq.

The incident came just one day after another drone was intercepted near the same facility. On Tuesday evening, Iraqi security forces also announced they had seized nine rockets and a launchpad allegedly prepared to target the airport, underscoring heightened security threats in the capital.

The renewed attacks come against the backdrop of an expanding confrontation between Washington, Tel Aviv, and Tehran. The current conflict erupted following direct military exchanges between Israel and Iran, including Israeli and American airstrikes on Iranian military and nuclear-linked infrastructure and retaliatory missile and drone barrages launched by Tehran.

The United States has provided military backing to Israel and has conducted strikes it says are aimed at degrading Iran’s regional military capabilities and protecting American personnel. In response, Iran and allied proxy groups across the region have vowed retaliation against US and Israeli interests.

Iraq, which in recent years had regained a fragile stability after decades of war and internal conflict, once again finds itself on precarious ground. The country has historically served as a proxy battleground between Washington and Tehran, particularly after the 2003 US Freedom Operation and the subsequent rise of powerful Iran-backed militias integrated into Iraq’s security architecture.

From the early hours of the campaign against Iran, strikes attributed to the United States and Israel targeted Iran-aligned Iraqi factions. Those groups have since declared they will not remain neutral, claiming responsibility for dozens of drone attacks on bases hosting US personnel in Iraq and neighboring countries.

With armed factions operating on Iraqi soil and foreign military assets present within its borders, the Iraqi government faces limited room for maneuver. Each new interception near critical infrastructure, such as Baghdad International Airport, heightens fears that Iraq could once again become a primary arena for regional confrontation.

For now, security forces remain on high alert around key installations in the capital, as authorities attempt to prevent further escalation while navigating one of the most volatile regional crises in years.