"Shortly after midnight on Wednesday we received a verbal message from the Islamic Republic of Iran that the Iranian response to the assassination of the Qassem Soleimani had started or was about to start," Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi's spokesman said.

At the same time, Abdul Mahdi received a call from the United States while missiles were falling on the American wing of the air base in Anbar province and an air base in Erbil, the spokesperson added.

Soleimani and the acting commander of the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) - known as the Hash al-Shaabi - Abu Mahdi Al-Mohandes were targeted and assassinated by the US forces while they were separately leaving Baghdad airport in two cars on January 3.

In retaliation, Iran fired ballistic missiles Wednesday at the U.S. military bases in Iraq, killing 80 American soldiers, raising the stakes in its confrontation with Washington amid fears of a wider war in the Middle East.

ILKHA