Iraq has condemned Israel’s use of its airspace for attacks on neighboring Iran in a formal protest letter addressed to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the UN Security Council.
Baghdad, Iraq: Iraq has condemned Israel’s use of its airspace to launch attacks on neighboring Iran, according to a protest letter sent to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the UN Security Council, Baghdad announced on Monday.
In a statement, government spokesman Bassim Alawadi confirmed that the letter denounced “the Zionist entity’s blatant violation of Iraq’s airspace and sovereignty by using Iraqi airspace to carry out an attack on the Islamic Republic of Iran on October 26.”
Alawadi added that Iraq’s foreign ministry would raise “this violation” in discussions with the United States, a key ally and major arms supplier to Israel. The Israeli air strikes on Saturday targeted military sites in Iran, raising concerns of escalating regional tensions amid ongoing conflicts, including the Gaza war and the Israel-Hezbollah war in Lebanon.
The Israeli raid was in retaliation for an Iranian missile attack on October 1, which had been a response to the killing of Iran-backed militant leaders and a Revolutionary Guards commander. According to the Iranian military, some Israeli aircraft launched “a small number of long-range missiles… from a distance,” within Iraq’s US-patrolled airspace.
Baghdad maintains close ties with Tehran while also having a strategic partnership with Washington, which has troops stationed in Iraq as part of an international anti-jihadist coalition. Although the Iraqi government has tried to stay neutral in the escalating regional conflict, certain pro-Iran factions within the country have launched attacks on US forces and claimed responsibility for drone strikes targeting Israel.
The Tehran-aligned group Kataeb Hezbollah, an influential militia, condemned Israel’s use of Iraqi airspace to attack Iran on Sunday, calling it a “dangerous precedent.” The group also accused the United States of complicity in the Israeli strike and issued a warning to both Israel and the US, vowing a response to this “aggression.”