BAGHDAD — A strike on Tuesday in western Iraq killed three fighters from the former paramilitary coalition Hashed al-Shaabi, the alliance said in a statement, blaming the US and Israel for the attack.

 

Iraq has been drawn into the broader Middle East war that started with US-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28.

 

Pro-Iran armed groups have claimed responsibility for attacks on US interests in Iraq and across the region, while strikes have also targeted the groups.

 

The attack resulted in the death of three fighters, "and the wounding of four others," the statement said of the strike that targeted a checkpoint in Anbar province.

 

The alliance is also known as the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF), and is now part of Iraq's regular armed forces although it also contains pro-Iran factions.

 

Earlier AFP journalists reported hearing an explosion and seeing smoke, after an attack was intercepted near the international airport of Erbil, the capital of Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region.

 

Erbil is home to a major US consulate complex, while its airport houses military advisers attached to a US-led anti-jihadist coalition.

 

Regular drone attacks by pro-Iran armed groups have usually been intercepted by air defences.

 

Another AFP journalist said debris from the intercepted attack had fallen on cars and homes near the airport, causing some damage.

 

A base in northern Sulaymaniyah province hosting the Iraqi Kurdistan regional armed forces was also targeted overnight by a missile and rocket attack, the regional force said, adding there were no casualties.

 

In southern Iraq, security officials said a drone had fallen in an oil field but there had been no explosions or injuries reported.

 

Many oil operations in Iraq have been paused since the outbreak of the war.

 

Overnight, the PMF also said its positions were targeted in Jurf al-Sakher but that there were no casualties.

 

The base is also known as Jurf al-Nasr, and is one of the strongholds of the pro-Iran US-blacklisted groups Kataeb Hizbollah.