Ahmad al-Hamidawi, the secretary-general of the armed faction, mourned in a statement the loss of a "great commander", Ali Hussein al-Freiji, who had joined the group more than two decades ago.

Two sources from the faction told AFP on Wednesday that a strike hit a vehicle near the group's main base in southern Iraq, killing two fighters.

The toll then rose to three, including the commander.

One source described the attack as a "Zionist-US strike".