Baghdad faces a new test to maintain balance.. Threats of Iranian response to Israel from Iraqi terr

Posted on[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] by [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

[size=52]Baghdad faces a new test to maintain balance.. Threats of Iranian response to Israel from Iraqi territory[/size]

[size=45]Baghdad/ Tamim Al-Hassan[/size]
[size=45]Once again, concerns are rising in Iraq over the possibility that its territory could be used for an Iranian response to Israel.
A circle close to Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani revealed that measures are being taken in the event that its airspace is exploited in the war.
An Iraqi politician believes that Tehran wants to create chaos in Iraq in order to hand over the reins of power to the factions.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei pledged a “harsh response” against the United States and Israel “for what they are doing against Iran and the axis of resistance.”
The New York Times quoted three Iranian officials as saying that Khamenei ordered the Supreme National Security Council to prepare to respond to Israel.
The officials did not mention when the response might be, but the American newspaper suggested that it would be “after the US elections.”
Meanwhile, the Axios website reported, citing two Israeli sources, that Iran is preparing to attack Israel from Iraqi territory in the coming days, possibly before the US presidential elections on November 5.
According to the website, the attack being carried out by pro-Iranian factions in Iraq, rather than directly from Iranian territory, could be an attempt by Iran to avoid another Israeli attack on strategic targets.
The sources said that Israeli intelligence indicates that the attack is expected to be carried out from Iraq using a large number of drones and ballistic missiles.[/size]
[size=45]Government measures
The Iraqi government has not yet commented on the report published by Axios about the possibility of using Iraqi territory for a potential Iranian attack, but Fadi al-Shammari, political advisor to al-Sudani, reiterated Iraq’s rejection of attempts to “exploit its territory or airspace for military or security operations, as this would exacerbate the crisis and expand the circle of conflict.”
He said in press statements that the government “has taken a series of military and security measures, in addition to conducting direct and indirect internal dialogues to ensure adherence to its policies.”
A week ago, Baghdad closed the door on attempts by Shiite factions and forces to “embarrass” the government due to information about Israel’s use of Iraqi airspace in the recent Iranian strike, and decided to file a complaint with the United Nations.
Legal experts considered that Iraq was “late” in taking this measure, while Iraq may not have full control over its airspace, due to the control of the international coalition.
In early October, the Iraqi military leadership admitted that the airspace was not completely secure. This coincided with expectations that the country would be exposed to Israeli strikes.
Who owns the airspace?
“Iraq is unable to deter missiles from Iran or Israel that pass over its airspace,” said Safaa al-Aasam, a retired brigadier general.
He attributed this to Iraq not having a “defense system,” while the international coalition completely controls Iraqi airspace, a claim that was later denied by the US embassy in Baghdad.
Political forces and factions began to “escalate” following information about Israel’s use of Iraqi airspace in the recent strike on Iran.
Iraq breathed a sigh of relief after an Israeli strike described as “limited,” after two weeks of tension, anticipation, and expectations of an expansion of the strikes.
Analysts read the scene following the recent strike as heading toward “calm,” but the factions continued to launch strikes.
In the latest wave of attacks by the so-called “Islamic Resistance in Iraq,” the latter claimed responsibility for carrying out four separate drone attacks targeting “vital targets” in the southern Israeli coastal city of Eilat, historically known as “Umm al-Rashrash.”
The groups said in a statement on Telegram that the attacks came “in continuation of the approach of resisting the occupation and in support of our people in Palestine and Lebanon,” noting that the attacks are “in response to the massacres committed by the Zionist entity against civilians, including children, women and the elderly.”
In contrast, the Israeli army announced in a statement on the “X” platform that it intercepted 3 drones that tried to approach Israeli airspace over the Red Sea, indicating that the drones were launched “from the east.”
The statement did not clarify the exact source of the drones, but factions in Iraq have previously claimed responsibility for similar attacks.
Implicating Iraq
In this regard, Mithal Al-Alusi, a politician and former member of parliament, says that “the Iraqi factions do not have the technology, equipment or gear to threaten Israel, or enter into a battle with Israel or any other country in the region.”
Al-Alusi believes that those who are directing the strikes against Israel from within Iraq “are non-Iraqi expertise, because the Iraqi factions do not have the ability to launch missiles or target specific areas, and these are the capabilities of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.”
Last July, Kata’ib Hezbollah, one of the groups affiliated with the “resistance,” admitted to the presence of “drone development experts” in Jurf al-Sakhar.
This came after drone manufacturing sites in Jurf, south of Baghdad, were struck by coalition forces, according to a statement by the Iraqi government.
The “Brigades” revealed in a statement that the drone experts who were targeted were developing reconnaissance drones in order to participate with the Iraqi security forces in protecting visitors to the Arbaeen of Imam Hussein.
Al-Alusi believes that Iran wants to pressure Israel to respond to Iraq, “then the situation in Iraq will get out of hand and the street will be in the hands of the factions and the government will be paralyzed, which will gain the approval of the current American administration,” according to the former MP.
The Iraqi politician also points out that threats to strike Israel from Iraqi territory are “a means of pressuring al-Sudani to limit his drive towards any acceptable middle or national line.”
He added that these threats “are intended to capture the Iraqi prime minister, restrict him, and threaten him with overthrowing the government, and overthrowing the government means threatening America, which cares about the stability of Iraq.”[/size]
[size=45][You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]