BAGHDAD, Feb 28, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Two people were killed Saturday in air strikes on an Iraqi military base housing the powerful pro-Iran group Kataeb Hezbollah, which has threatened the US with an imminent response.

The United States and Israel launched strikes against Iran on Saturday, with the Islamic republic retaliating with barrages of missiles targeting Gulf states and Israel.

The Jurf al-Sakher base, also known as Jurf al-Nasr, in southern Iraq belongs to the Hashed al-Shaabi or the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF), a former paramilitary group now integrated into the regular army.

But the largest contingent on the base is made up of members of Kataeb Hezbollah.

A source from Kataeb Hezbollah told AFP that "there are two martyrs from Kataeb... in the aggression on the Jurf al-Nasr base".

The Iraqi government's security media cell announced that "at 11:50 am (0850 GMT), the Jurf al-Nasr area... was targeted by several air strikes, resulting in the martyrdom of two people".

It also reported that three others were wounded.

Kataeb Hezbollah warned in a statement "we will soon begin attacking American bases in response to their aggression."

Several explosions were heard earlier near the US consulate in Erbil in northern Iraq, AFP journalists said.

Jamal, who lives near the consulate, told AFP "I heard at least three powerful explosions. My house shook."

The US-blacklisted Kataeb has several brigades that operate within the Hashed al-Shaabi.

It is also part of the Iran-backed so-called "axis of resistance" and has a reputation for acting on its own.

The group warned the US on Thursday of "immense losses" should it start a war in the region, and urged its fighters "to prepare for a potentially long war of attrition".