Source: US pressure, Israeli threats aim to prevent Iraqi factions from using Iraq to strike Israel
Shafaq News/ “Significant” American pressure and Israeli threats are aimed at preventing Iraqi armed factions from using Iraqi territory to target sites in Israel, a government source revealed on Sunday.
For several months, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq (IRI) has reported near-daily rocket and drone attacks on Israeli targets, citing the ongoing Israeli military actions in Gaza and Lebanon as a primary motive.
Notably, IRI encompasses all Iran-backed Iraqi armed groups such as Kataib Hezbollah, Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba, and Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada. All of which are designated by Washington as terrorist organizations.
The source told Shafaq News Agency, “The US has pressured the Iraqi government to prevent armed factions from using Iraqi territory to target Israeli sites, warning that Israel would respond within Iraq, not Syria, if this happens.”
Speaking anonymously, he said that “the Iraqi government has strongly pressured armed factions to avoid using Iraqi territory and asked Tehran to exert similar pressure and force them to refrain from carrying out any military actions from inside Iraq.”
“The tweet by Iraqi National Security Adviser Qasim al-Araji last night, responding to US messages, confirmed that Iraqi territory would not be used as a launch point for regional attacks,” the source affirmed.
