Iraq says US ‘blatantly’ violated its sovereignty with strikes on Iran-linked targets

Iraq has accused the United States of violating its territorial sovereignty after the Pentagon carried out a new series of attacks this week targeting Iranian-backed militias in the country.

Yehia Rasool, a spokesman for Iraq's supreme commander, said the attack was “a clear determination to undermine Iraq's security and stability” and that it would damage ongoing negotiations over the US presence in the country. said.

“This unacceptable behavior undermines years of cooperation, blatantly violates Iraq's sovereignty, and contributes to irresponsible escalation,” Rasul said in Wednesday's newspaper. statement. “It comes at a time when the region is already facing the risk of further conflict, the impact of the invasion of Gaza, and the impact of the immoral war of extermination that the Palestinian people are facing.”

The United States on Tuesday said it had attacked three sites used by Iranian-backed militias in Iraq, including Kataib Hezbollah, in response to recent attacks on American forces in Iraq and Syria. Since the Israeli-Hamas war broke out in the Gaza Strip last October, Iranian-backed militias have attacked the United States more than 150 times.

U.S. Central Command said the airstrikes hit Kataib Hezbollah's headquarters, storage and training bases for launching rockets, missiles and drones.

Iraq said the airstrikes hit near two towns near the capital of Baghdad.

Conflicts have erupted across the Middle East between the United States, Israel, Iran and its proxies, and there are growing concerns in Iraq that the country could be drawn into another war.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohamed Shia al-Sudani removed the US from Iraq over de-escalation after a US airstrike killed an Iranian-backed militia leader in Baghdad in early January. He said he is considering the possibility of doing so.

Approximately 2,500 U.S. troops are operating in Iraq at the request of the Iraqi government to counter the Islamic extremist group ISIS.

Iraq also blamed Iran for attacking what it claimed was an Israeli spy base in the Iraqi city of Erbil in January, but al-Sudan is closely aligned with Iranian-backed militias. Most of the anger is confined to Washington.

Iraqi Spokesman Rasul said on Wednesday that the United States was “engaging in reprehensible and unwarranted aggressive actions against Iraq's territory and national sovereignty.”

“We call on the international community to support peace and security and to fulfill its responsibility to prevent any violations that threaten Iraq's stability and sovereignty,” Rasul said. “We will treat these operations as acts of aggression and take the necessary actions to protect the lives and dignity of Iraqis in a land that is safe and stable thanks to the sacrifices of our people.”