Iraq
Iraqi National Security Advisor Qasim al-Araji speaking to Rudaw in Baghdad on July 4, 2024. Photo: Rudaw
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq’s national security advisor Qasim al-Araji on Monday denied reports of the government receiving a message from Israel via an Azerbaijani mediator, as tensions between Iraq and Israel escalate.
“We deny what has been circulated by some outlets about the Azerbaijani ambassador in Baghdad delivering messages from the occupying entity to the Iraqi side,” Araji said on X.
“We call on media outlets to exercise accuracy in reporting news and rely on official sources,” he added.
Araji’s denial comes amid escalating tension between Iraq and Israel. Last week, 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.”
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.”
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.”
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.
On Sunday, The Arab 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)."
The 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.”
On October 7 of last year, Palestinian Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on Israel, which retaliated by invading Gaza with the conflict now having spread to Lebanon.
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.
The United States on Monday the United States warned on Monday that Iran-backed groups operating in Iraq risk dragging the country into a regional conflict.
“Iran aligned militia groups inside Iraq risk destabilizing Iraq. They risk dragging the country into a regional war by conducting unsanctioned attacks both within Iraq and outside of Iraq's borders,” US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller told Rudaw during a press briefing.
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