ISTANBUL / Laith al-Janidi / Anadolu

Iraqi authorities announced Wednesday that a drone crashed inside the grounds of the Grand Faw Port in Basra province, southernmost Iraq, without any casualties or material losses.

The Iraqi News Agency (INA) quoted the mayor of Faw district, Walid al-Sharifi, as saying that "a drone, whose source was not identified, fell Wednesday morning in the container yard inside the Grand Faw Port, causing it to be completely destroyed."

Al-Sharifi stressed that the incident did not result in any human or material damage.

For its part, the General Company for Iraqi Ports confirmed that the incident did not affect the operational processes inside the port.

This incident comes amid rising security and military tensions in the Middle East, with increasing use of drones of unknown origin to target or track vital targets in Gulf waters and border areas.

The incident also coincides with diplomatic and security moves led by the government of Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, which emphasizes in its programs and meetings the importance of controlling weapons and limiting security responsibility to the state.