Shafaq News/ On Thursday, the First Deputy Speaker of the Iraqi Parliament, Mohsen Al-Mandalawi, responded to Israel's complaint against Iraq at the United Nations Security Council.

Al-Mandalawi said in a statement that the Israeli complaint, along with the diplomatic and media pressures on Baghdad and the talk of a potential Israeli military strike on Iraq, coincides with Iraq's diplomatic efforts in regional and international forums to stop the war. “These actions are nothing but attempts to perpetuate killing and destruction in the region," he claimed.

Al-Mandalawi held Washington “responsible for any Zionist recklessness in escalating aggression [wars] in the region, through using the veto to block a Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cessation of the war… Iraq's position in supporting Gaza and Lebanon will never change.”

On Tuesday, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar held the Iraqi government responsible for "everything that happens on its territory," asserting Tel Aviv's right to self-defense.

In response, The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, directed all security agencies to prevent and pursue any military activity outside the state’s control, following Israeli threats to target Iraq.

Last week, a government source informed Shafaq News that the US had urged the Iraqi government to stop armed factions from using Iraqi territory to launch attacks on Israeli sites, cautioning that any such actions would prompt an Israeli response within Iraq rather than Syria.

In a related development, the Israeli newspaper Maariv reported that Israel's strategy for addressing potential escalations originating from Iraq includes initially targeting infrastructure and facilities, followed by the assassination of key figures within the armed factions.

Since October 7, 2023, the Iraqi Islamic Resistance (IRI), an umbrella organization encompassing all Iran-backed Iraqi armed groups, has ramped up its support for the Palestinian resistance in Gaza, intensifying military actions against Israel, with strikes escalating as Israel’s offensive against Lebanon unfolded.