ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Arab League, a pan-Arab alliance, on Sunday condemned Israel’s threats to expand the regional conflict to Iraq, welcoming Baghdad’s decision to prevent armed groups from carrying out attacks against other countries from Iraq.
The league convened on Sunday to discuss conflicts in the Middle East, a day after Iraq resorted to the league seeking regional support in the face of Israel’s threats against the country.
The league said in a statement that it condemns “Israel's (the occupying power) attempt to expand its aggressive practices in the region, including Iraq, through a letter to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC)."
In a letter to the Security Council on Monday, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar asked for “immediate action” against “attacks on Israel conducted by the Iranian-backed militias in Iraq” and to ensure that Iraq “fulfills its obligations” to “prevent the use of its territory as a base for attacks against other nations.”
On Saturday, the Iraqi government sent letters to the Security Council, the Arab League, and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation “in response to the threats of the Israeli entity to attack Iraq.”
The Iraqi foreign ministry said it is has turned the Security Council out of “keenness to have the Council perform its role in maintaining international peace and security and the need to take the necessary measures to stop Israeli aggression in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon, and to oblige the Israeli entity to stop the ongoing violence in the region and stop issuing threats.”
Iraq's Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani said during a ceremony in Baghdad on Sunday that Israel has "threatened Iraq under baseless pretexts, exposing its hostile intentions. This necessitates our firm emphasis on preventing Iraq from being used as a platform for any attack."
Fuad Hussein, 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, including speaking to Iran, to avoid being dragged into war.
The Arab League said it welcomes the Iraqi government’s decision “regarding its armed forces and security agencies' efforts to prevent and pursue any military activity outside of state control.”
The pan-Arab alliance decided to send a letter to the Security Council to declare the league’s “support” for the Iraqi government and “reject claims” made in Iraq’s letter to the Security Council.
