Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraq will not allow its territory to become a launchpad for attacks against neighboring countries, Prime Minister and Commander-in-Chief Ali Al-Zaidi affirmed on Saturday, a day after Saudi Arabia said drones launched from Iraq had struck its East-West oil pipeline.

Speaking at a graduation ceremony for police and security officers, Al-Zaidi said, “We will not allow Iraq to become an arena for the conflicts of others,” adding that attempts to undermine the country’s security would fail in the face of public support for the government and armed forces.

Iraqi authorities traced Friday’s drones to a site in Maysan province. Al-Zaidi ordered an investigation into the Maysan Operations Command and removed its commander and the provincial police chief from their posts.

Saudi authorities reported casualties and property damage from the strikes and temporarily shut down the pipeline, which carries crude toward the Red Sea coast.

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq (IRI), an umbrella group of Iran-aligned Iraqi armed factions, denied involvement in the attacks and expressed readiness to cooperate with the government investigation.