Iraqi Civil Defence forces were seen at the Kalsu military base in Babylon on Saturday, in the aftermath of an explosion reportedly killing a member of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) and wounding eight others.

Footage captured by an Iraqi broadcaster shows smoke billowing from several fires as Civil Defence personnel arrived at the scene. The agency was unable to independently verify the exact location where the video was filmed.

On Saturday morning, Iraqi authorities announced that one PMF member had been killed while eight others, including one Iraqi soldier, sustained moderate to minor injuries. A Civil Defence committee has been formed to determine the exact cause of the blast.

The PMF is believed to be an umbrella group containing several pro-Iranian militant organisations. The US has launched attacks on the group in the past but has denied any involvement in Saturday's explosion.

The blast at the Kalsu military base comes after several explosions rocked a military base in Iran’s Isfahan – of which Israel was not directly accused – one week after Iran launched an ‘unprecedented’ attack on Israel in response to the airstrike at the Iranian Consulate in Damascus on April 1, which has killed 7 IRGC commanders. Israel did not claim responsibility for the consulate attack.

For months, factions of the PMF launched missile and drone attacks against the US forces in Iraq as fighting between Israel and Hamas continued in Gaza. However, all attacks were halted in early February after 3 US soldiers were killed at a military base in northern Jordan near the Syrian borders.