US forces have begun withdrawing from Ain al-Asad airbase in western Iraq, according to media reports.
An Iraqi-based outlet cited a source as saying that American forces have relocated the majority of their equipment and started dismantling their headquarters at the base.
Kataib Hezbollah, an Iran-aligned militia in Iraq, warned earlier this week that it would target U.S. forces in the region if Washington took action against Tehran.
Separately, officials said the Trump administration has signalled to regional Arab governments that a military strike is now considered “more likely than not,” reflecting heightened tensions in the region, according to US officials.
Armed Kurdish separatist groups attempted to cross into Iran from neighbouring Iraq, in what officials described as an effort by external actors to exploit instability following days of intensified crackdowns on protests against authorities in Tehran.
Three sources, including a senior Iranian official, told Reuters that National Intelligence Organization had warned Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps that Kurdish fighters had crossed the frontier in recent days.
According to the Iranian official, the IRGC subsequently clashed with the groups, which were accused of attempting to foment further instability and capitalise on the ongoing protests.
