The U.S.-led international coalition stationed in western Iraq shot down two Iranian drones believed to be heading toward Israel, two Iraqi military officials said Sunday.

The drones were intercepted near the Ain al-Asad Air Base in Iraq’s Anbar province late Saturday, according to one of the officials, who spoke to AFP on condition of anonymity.

“The international coalition at Ain al-Asad base shot down two Iranian drones that were on their way to Israel,” one of the officials said, suggesting the coalition viewed the drones as hostile given their proximity to the base.

Another Iraqi military source added that the coalition may have considered the UAVs a direct threat due to their flight path near coalition-controlled airspace.

The downing comes just days after another explosive-laden drone was intercepted over Iraq on Friday, according to an Iraqi security official.

The incident follows a wave of military escalations between Israel and Iran. On Friday morning, Israel launched a wide-scale attack targeting military and nuclear sites in Iran. Tehran responded later that same day with drone and missile strikes against Israeli territory.

Over the past two days, several missiles and drones have landed in Iraq, mostly in desert areas, without causing casualties.

The United States currently has around 2,500 troops stationed in Iraq and approximately 900 in Syria as part of a coalition formed in 2014 to combat the Islamic State group.

Iraq and the U.S. recently outlined a timetable for withdrawing coalition forces, with the mission expected to conclude by the end of September 2025 in federal Iraq and by September 2026 in the autonomous Kurdistan region.

Amid escalating regional tensions, Iraq’s government on Saturday urged the United States to honor bilateral agreements and prevent Israeli aircraft from using Iraqi airspace to conduct attacks.

Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, said Sunday that Tehran had “definitive proof” that American bases in the region were supporting Israeli military operations.

Pro-Iranian armed factions in Iraq, including Kataib Hezbollah, have called for the immediate withdrawal of U.S. forces, warning that further escalation could lead to wider conflict.

In a statement issued Sunday, Kataib Hezbollah Secretary-General Abu Hussein al-Hamidawi said, “We are closely monitoring the movements of the American enemy in the region. If the U.S. intervenes in this war, we will target its interests and bases without hesitation.”

He added that Iran has no need for foreign military support to confront Israel, saying the country “has the men and means to humiliate Netanyahu and curb the aggression of the Zionist regime.”

The statement also called on the Iraqi government to take a “courageous stance” to prevent the war from spreading by closing the U.S. embassy in Baghdad and expelling American troops, whom the group called “the most dangerous threat to Iraq’s stability and regional peace.