What happened

Explosions were heard at Erbil International Airport in northern Iraq on the evening of 1 March 2026, with air-defense systems attempting intensive interceptions and a fire breaking out following the blasts, according to an Anadolu Agency correspondent. Iranian state broadcaster Press TV said an American military base at Erbil was targeted with drones and missiles as part of Iran's retaliation for the US-Israeli strikes that killed Iran's supreme leader days earlier. No casualty or damage figures were available in the reviewed reporting at the time of publication. Separate reporting in September 2026 referenced satellite imagery said to show damage from an Iranian strike on a coalition base at Erbil airport, which this record treats as a later assessment of the same event rather than independent confirmation, since the imagery itself was not reviewed.

When cited sources give different casualty, damage or spill figures for this event, they’re reported side by side above rather than merged into one number. See how confidence levels work.