Iraq faces 'clear, tangible threats' from Israel: Officials
Baghdad says it is strengthening its security forces, accusing Tel Aviv of using 'pretexts' to expand the regional war
Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said on 22 November that his country faces “serious, clear and tangible” threats from Israel and that Baghdad has taken “internal and external steps” to counter them.
“The reality is that there is a tangible threat. So, Iraq must not be pushed into war. These matters are explained in detail to political leaders and faction leaders, with the prime minister providing detailed explanations about the risks of acting against any country from Iraqi territory,” Hussein said during a speech at the fifth Middle East Peace and Security Conference (MEPS24).
"Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani directed the armed forces to take strict measures against any parties using Iraqi territory to launch attacks, while the government continues its diplomatic efforts with influential western capitals to stop the escalation in Iraq," the country's top diplomat added.
Under the Islamic Resistance in Iraq (IRI) umbrella, Iraqi factions allied with the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) have been launching near-daily attacks on Israeli targets over the past year. Statements from the groups highlight that the attacks will continue until the massacres of civilians in Gaza and Lebanon come to a halt.
Earlier this week, the Iraqi premier criticized Israeli “efforts to expand the war” in West Asia, in comments made after Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz sent a letter to the UN Security Council urging “action” against the Iraqi resistance and stressing Tel Aviv’s right to “protect itself.”
“Iraq rejects these threats; the decision of war and peace is a decision in the hands of the Iraqi state, and no party is allowed to confiscate this right. Iraq rejects entering into war, in addition to its steadfastness in the moral position to end the war and seeking to provide relief to the Palestinian and Lebanese peoples," Sudani said, calling Katz's letter “a pretext and argument to attack Iraq.”
“Iraq faces serious security threats from Israel after the recent military escalation in the region,” government spokesman Bassem al-Awadi told Sky News Arabia on Friday, adding that Baghdad “is working to ensure internal stability by strengthening Iraqi security forces and enhancing coordination with regional countries to confront these threats.”
According to officials from PMU-affiliated parties, Washington has been exerting “strong pressure” on Israel to prevent any response to IRI attacks in support of the Palestinian and Lebanese people.
The US army has also stepped up surveillance along the Iraq–Syria border to track the movement of IRI factions. Kurdish allies of Washington in Syria were earlier this year accused of releasing hundreds of ISIS fighters on the border region with Iraq.