ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq’s foreign minister warned on Friday that Israel has made “serious” threats that it would attack and said Baghdad has taken preventative measures at home and abroad to avoid being dragged into war. “There are clear threats from the Israeli government,” Fuad Hussein told the Middle East Peace and Security (MEPS) forum in Duhok. Israel’s ire is directed at Iranian-backed militia groups in Iraq that are staunch supporters of Palestine and Hamas. Some of these groups have targeted Israel with drones and missiles and carried out rocket and drone strikes against United States military installations in Iraq and Syria in retaliation for Washington’s support for Israel in its war on Gaza. In a letter to the United Nations Security Council on Monday, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar urged “immediate action” against “attacks on Israel conducted by the Iranian-backed militias in Iraq” and ensure that Iraq “fulfills its obligations” to “prevent the use of its territory as a base for attacks against other nations.” Last month, 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. Iraq’s government responded to Israel’s letter on Tuesday, describing it as “a pretext to justify aggression against Iraq and an attempt to expand the ongoing war in the region.” Hussein said that the threats from Israel are “serious, clear and tangible.” He said that the Middle East is “on fire” and Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani has taken several steps to keep Iraq out of a regional war. Sudani has ordered Iraq’s security forces to “take all measures against those who act otherwise and use Iraqi territory to attack another state,” Hussein said, implicitly referring to the militia groups. There are ongoing talks between Sudani and the ruling Shiite Coordination Framework and the prime minister has also discussed the matter with Iranian officials, the foreign minister added. “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. On October 7 of last year, Palestinian Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on Israel, which retaliated by invading Gaza. The conflict has now spread to Lebanon.
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