ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – At least five people were injured after an unidentified aerial object landed in the city of Samarra, central Iraq, on Saturday, with authorities launching a probe into the incident.

The incident occurred at around 06:45PM in the Jamiya neighborhood of Dujail district, according to a statement from the Iraqi interior ministry. The object crashed close to where a group of children had gathered.

“The children were injured by shrapnel and flying gravel as a result of the foreign object falling,” said the ministry, noting that the children were hospitalized and later discharged after receiving treatment.

At least five were lightly injured when a fragment of a foreign aerial object crashed in a neighborhood in the central Iraqi city of Samarra, the Iraqi interior ministry reported on Saturday

All five have been discharged from the hospital after receiving treatment, according to… pic.twitter.com/HqC3tfeN8v

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The ministry stated that security officials had arrived at the scene of the incident to investigate, adding that more details will be shared with the public at a later time.

The incident comes as tensions have escalated between Iran and Israel in recent days, with both sides using Iraqi airspace for their ongoing exchange of fire.

Footage have circulated on social media in recent days, showing foreign aerial objects and debris from missiles and drones landing across several provinces of Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.

The Iraqi government has repeatedly warned of the repercussions of the Iran-Israel conflict for the entire region, condemning the Israeli aggression on Iran while also urging a return to the negotiation table.

The escalation has sparked concerns in Iraq that the country would be drawn in to the conflict due to the presence of a large number of Iran-backed armed groups who have targeted American and Israeli interests in the past.