ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Iraqi government on Wednesday denied reports of its lands being used as a launchpad to attack Israel, stating that the reports are used as an excuse to drag Iraq into war.
“[T]he National Security Ministerial Council emphasized that recent reports suggesting Iraqi territory as a launch point for attacks or responses [against Israel] are nothing but false pretexts and justifications intended to serve as an excuse for aggression against Iraq,” said Major General Yehia Rasool, the military spokesperson for Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani in a statement following meeting of the council.
Iraq is a staunch supporter of Palestine, condemning the lack of global support for the Palestinian people on multiple occasions.
The statement also reiterated “Iraq’s firm stance in supporting the struggles of the Palestinian and Lebanese peoples…”
Iran’s army said that Israel used US-provided airspace in Iraq to attack Iran during the early morning attacks of October 26, angering Iraqi Shiite militia groups and politicians. Last week, the Iraqi government submitted a protest letter to the UN over the “flagrant violations” of the country’s sovereignty.
The current Shiite-led cabinet has also sided with Lebanon in the fight with Israel. It has so far only provided humanitarian aid, but Iraq’s pro-Iran militia groups have carried out dozens of drone and rocket attacks on Israel since Hamas’ unprecedented attack on Israel a year ago triggered the escalation in the decades-old Israel-Palestine conflict.
Since the start of the conflict in Lebanon, Iraq has opened doors to thousands of Lebanese refugees fleeing the war, calling them “guests” in the country.
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a shadow militia group affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), announced last month that it launched drones against “vital targets” in the occupied Golan Heights. The group vowed to continue its attacks at an “escalating pace.”
In October, the Israeli army announced that two of its soldiers were killed and 24 others were injured, when a suicide drone launched from Iraq hit a military base in the Golan Heights.
These attacks by the militia groups have raised concerns that Iraq could be dragged into the war - something Iraqi officials have said they want to avoid.
