Al-Sadr: claims about Israeli sites should not undermine Iraq's security
Shafaq News/ The leader of the Sadrist movement, Muqtada al-Sadr, called for sending a "protest note" to the United Nations and the Iranian ambassador to Baghdad following the missile attack waged by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on the capital of the Kurdistan region, Erbil, in the early hours of Sunday.
In a tweet he shared earlier, the firebrand Shiite cleric said that the Iraqi territory should not be made an "arena for political, security, and military conflicts".
"Therefore, as we condemn the deeds that target neighboring countries from inside Iraqi, we condemn any external interference or bombing to the 'fully sovereign' Iraqi land."
"The relevant authorities shall send a protest note to the United Nations and Iranian ambassador, immediately," he added.
Al-Sadr said that plunging Iraq's "airspace, land, and sanctities into conflicts is a dangerous precedent that should not be passed over in silence."
"Allegations about Israeli sites shall be investigated as soon as possible. It should not be used to undermine Iraq's security," he concluded.
The Kurdish leader, Masoud Barzani, and the leader of the Sadrist movement, Muqtada al-Sadr, will sponsor a "facing-finding" inquiry into the allegations made by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) about Israeli headquarters in the capital of the Kurdistan region, Erbil.
According to a readout issued by his bureau, the Shiite cleric discussed over a phone call with the Kurdish leader the midnight attack on Erbil and agreed to form a "fact-finding committee" to look into the Iranian allegations.
Earlier today, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) said that the site hit by the Iranian ballistic missiles is "civilian", refuting claims by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) about a "base" of the Israeli intelligence body in the area.
A KRG statement accused the "culprits" of using the "Israeli base" claims as a pretext to conceal the "abominable crime" they committed, denouncing the "propaganda" they are promoting as "unfounded".
The statement called on the United Nations, European Union, Arab league, Iraqi government and Parliament, and the Iranian government, to start an urgent investigation into those "baseless accusations".
Around a dozen missiles rained down on Erbil near midnight, reportedly targeting the US consulate's new building. Though neighboring areas were struck, the attack seems to have only caused material damage and minor injuries to two citizens.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed responsibility for the attack later on Sunday.
The IRGC said it had targeted a "strategic center of the Zionist regime's conspiracies and wickedness".
Earlier this week, Iran said Israeli airstrikes in Syria had killed two IRGC officers and vowed revenge.
"Any repetition of attacks by Israel will be met with a harsh, decisive, and destructive response," the IRGC said a statement Sunday.
