The United States’ Central Command (CENTCOM) recently announced the discovery of an Iranian-designed land attack cruise missile in Iraq.
On January 3, Iraqi police in Babylon uncovered a failed launch attempt of an Iranian-developed missile, a discovery revealed through a statement on X, previously known as Twitter, by CENTCOM on December 5.
“On Jan. 3, Iraqi police in Babylon discovered a land attack cruise missile of Iranian design that failed to launch. The use of Iranian supplied munitions by terrorist groups within Iraq and Syria endanger Coalition forces and local residents,” quoted CENTCOM’s statement.
According to CENTCOM, terrorist groups in Iraq and Syria pose a significant threat to coalition forces and local populations by utilizing weaponry of Iranian origin.
Expressing appreciation for the legitimate security forces’ efforts in Iraq to prevent future attacks, CENTCOM acknowledged the importance of proactive measures against such threats.
Local sources indicated that the winged missile from the Quds family fell from its launching platform during a failed launch. The incident occurred in or near the Hillah-Diwaniyah highway, Babil province’s primary north-south route. The Babil Police Command managed the controlled detonation, reportedly within the western Hamza district, south of Hillah.
The Quds missile family is a scaled-down version of Iran’s Soumar cruise missile, itself a derivative of the Soviet-era Kh-55.
Pro-Iranian militants in Iraq are blamed for more than 100 attacks, mainly on US interests in Iraq and Syria, since mid-October, in response to Washington’s support for Israel in its war on Hamas in Gaza. Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani has described the attacks as terrorism but has also condemned the US’ retaliatory strikes.
Iranian-backed Houthi militia also used such Quds cruise missiles to attack Israel.