Iraq News Now

Shafaq News/ Iraq's stability standsas a cornerstone for Middle Eastern security, with international observerscautioning that any Israeli actions against the Iraqi state could spark abroader regional war. Amid these tensions, Iraq's growing Arab and globalsolidarity underscores its pivotal role in fostering balance and maintainingrelations with all sides in an increasingly volatile region.

IRI Fights; Israel Threatens

The Iran-aligned Islamic Resistancein Iraq (IRI), a coalition of Iraqi armed groups, and part of the broader “Axisof Resistance” comprising groups from Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and Yemen, hasintensified its military operations since October 2023, citing support for thePalestinian resistance following Israel’s assault on the Gaza Strip. Initiallytargeting US military bases in Iraq and Syria, the group expanded its attacksto Israeli sites, including the Jordan Valley, Golan Heights, Haifa, and TelAviv. The attacks expanded significantly since last September when Israelstarted a war on Lebanon and engaged in daily military confrontations withHezbollah.

In light of this, Israel raised theissue to the United Nations, with its foreign minister sending a letter warningIraq.

Israeli Foreign Minister GideonSa'ar held the Iraqi government responsible for "everything happening onits territory," saying, "I sent a letter to the President of the UNSecurity Council, urging immediate action regarding the activities ofIran-backed militias in Iraq, which are using its territory to attackIsrael."

The Israeli FM stressed that “Israelhas the right to self-defense, as outlined in the UN Charter, to protect itselfand its citizens,” urging the Security Council to act “swiftly” to ensure theIraqi government meets its international obligations and halts these attacks onIsrael.

In this context, the Israelinewspaper Maariv reported that Israel's plans regarding any escalation fromIraq involve “first targeting infrastructure and facilities, then conductingtargeted assassinations of key figures in the armed factions.”

Iraq Takes Diplomatic Measures

The Iraqi Parliament considered theIsraeli complaint, along with the diplomatic and media pressures on Baghdad anddiscussions of a potential Israeli military strike on Iraq, as “nothing butattempts to perpetuate killing and destruction in the region,” reiteratingIraq's commitment to supporting Gaza and Lebanon.

In turn, Iraqi Prime MinisterMohammed Shia al-Sudani dismissed Israel’s UN letter as a “pretext foraggression,” accusing Tel Aviv of attempting to escalate the war in the region.He reaffirmed that decisions of war and peace “rest solely with the Iraqistate,” emphasizing Iraq’s humanitarian support for Palestinians and Lebanesepopulations, as Israel has killed more than 3,500 in Lebanon and over 43,000 inGaza, mostly women and children.

Al-Sudani also directed all securityagencies to pursue “any military activities outside the state's control.” Amongthe directives was the reinforcement of Iraq's western borders throughintensive activity, rapid deployment, and the development of necessary plans toensure effective security depth.

Addressing Israeli statements, Iraqigovernment spokesperson Bassem Al-Awadi confirmed that “Israel has invokedArticle 51 of the UN Charter, which justifies the use of force in self-defense,claiming Iraqi territory poses a threat and provides grounds for strikesagainst targets in Iraq.”

However, he confirmed that “theIraqi government rejects any justification for attacks on its territory underany circumstances,” asserting that the country will respond “firmly” to suchaggression.

He also reiterated Iraq's commitmentto peaceful solutions for regional crises while maintaining that "thecountry would adopt a defensive stance if threatened."

Following the request of the IraqiNational Security Council, Iraq’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) sentofficial letters to the United Nations Security Council, the UNSecretary-General, the Arab League, and the Organization of IslamicCooperation, in response to Israeli threats.

“Iraq is a pillar for stability inits regional and international surroundings, and is among the countries mostcommitted to the principles of the United Nations Charter,” MoFA said in itsletters, confirming that Israel’s recent communication to the Security Councilforms “a systematic policy to create allegations and pretexts to expand thescope of conflict in the region.”

Another diplomatic measure was takenwhen the Iraqi government requested an emergency session of the Arab LeagueCouncil at the permanent representative level to address Israeli threats.

The council responded to Iraq'srequest, affirming that it would convene an extraordinary session at the levelof permanent representatives, chaired by Yemen, on Sunday, 24 November.

Ambassador Hossam Zaki, AssistantSecretary-General of the Arab League, assured, “The meeting will discuss thememorandum from the President of the United Nations Security Council regardingIsraeli claims of increased frequency and intensity of attacks originating fromIraqi territory since last September, which aim to drag the region into a widerregional war.”

International Voices: NeighboringCountries Stand with Iraq

Turkish political analyst Jawad Gokexpressed solid support for Iraq in an interview with Shafaq News Agency."All neighboring countries, including Turkiye, stand with Iraq due to thestrong relationship between the two nations." He warned that"targeting Iraq could ignite a war in the region…The entity [Israel] hasno right to attack Iraq.”

“Turkiye will not allow Israeliaircraft to use its airspace for any potential strikes."

In a similar vein, Iranian politicalwriter and researcher Jalal Cheraghi described to Shafaq News Agency Israelithreats against Iraq as an attempt to "escape forward” and “cover upfailures” in Gaza and Lebanon.

"They want to get out of thepredicament and cover up these defeats," he explained. Cheraghi noted thatthe purpose of the threats was primarily "for internal Israeliconsumption," aiming to create a sense of achievement for the domesticfront by making threats against Iraq's Islamic Resistance.

Cheraghi further outlined that thethreats were designed to "sow division between the people, government, andresistance," applying pressure on the Iraqi government while provoking theIraqi public against both their government and resistance forces.

He also suggested that these actionswere aimed at sending messages to the United States and the incoming Trumpadministration, urging them to "exert more control over Iraq and confrontthe Axis of Resistance, along with those launching rockets and drones."

Moreover, Cheraghi emphasized theneed for neighboring countries to adopt a "firm stance" against thesethreats, calling on Arab and Islamic nations to hold meetings to"denounce" them.

Arab Voices: Iraq is Peace Mediator

Jordan also expressed unwaveringbacking for Iraq's role in regional stability. In an interview with Shafaq NewsAgency, Hasan Al-Momani, Dean of the Prince Al Hussein Bin Abdullah II Schoolof Political Science and International Studies, emphasized Iraq’s historicalsignificance in the Arab world, stating, "Iraq has played a central rolein Arab politics…It has restored its position within international politics inthe Middle East, presenting itself in various roles, including as a peacemediator, as its stability contributes to the overall stability of theregion."

"Iraq enjoys balanced relationswith all Arab countries…If it faces an attack, Arab nations will fully stand insolidarity with it, including Jordan, which will be a major supporter and willmobilize its political and diplomatic resources in service of the country,”Al-Momani further noted.

Jordanian political analyst HazemAyyad, a researcher at the Umma Center for Studies, discussed the contextsurrounding recent Israeli threats, explaining, "Israeli threats came atthe peak of the confrontation between Israel and Lebanon and during intensediplomatic efforts to seek a ceasefire agreement, coinciding with strikesinside Israeli territory."

"These threats are more of anattempt to pressure Iraq than actions likely to be carried out…Israel currentlylacks the necessary resources and capabilities, diverted by its ongoingconflict in southern Lebanon and operations targeting factions within Syrianterritory,” he elaborated.

The researcher concluded,"Thus, these threats align with American and European diplomatic effortsto end the war in southern Lebanon…Israel seeks to involve Iraq in thenegotiations, and any potential strike would aim at pressuring Iraq to commit toa future ceasefire agreement."