Israel warns of attacking suspected Iranian military assets in Iraq

Israel could attack suspected Iranian weaponry in Iraq as it had repeatedly done it in war-torn Syria, a senior Israeli official said on Monday.

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Israel could attack suspected Iranian weaponry in Iraq as it had repeatedly done it in war-torn Syria, a senior Israeli official said on Monday.

“We are certainly monitoring everything that is happening in Syria and, regarding Iranian threats, we are not limiting ourselves just to Syrian territory. This also needs to be clear,” Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman told a conference hosted and aired live by the Israel Television News Company, quoted by Reuters.

Asked if it would include possible action in Iraq, Lieberman stated: “I am saying that we will contend with any Iranian threat, and it doesn’t matter from where it comes ... Israel’s freedom is total. We retain this freedom of action.”

The remarks of the Israeli official comes days after Iranian, Iraqi, and Western sources claimed Tehran was providing ballistic missiles to its Shia proxy militias in Iraq and helping them develop their own as a means to respond to possible attacks on its interests in the region.

The sources asserted Tehran was giving Shia militias in Iraq aligned with the Islamic Republic ballistic deterrents to protect their assets in the Middle East and “give it the means to hit regional foes.”

Tehran on Saturday denied reports, stating the claims aimed to hurt Iran’s ties with its regional neighbors.

“Such false and ridiculous news have no purpose other than affecting Iran’s foreign relations, especially with its neighbors,” Foreign Ministry spokesman, Bahram Qassemi said, according to IRNA.

“These reports are solely aimed at creating fear between the countries of the region,” Qassemi added.

Israel sees the expansion of Iranian influence in the region as a serious threat. Israel has repeatedly launched attacks in Syria to prevent any entrenchment of Iranian forces helping Damascus in the war.

There was no immediate response from the government of Iraq which has no diplomatic and economic relations with Israel.

Recently, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo took to Twitter to express his “deep concerns” toward Iran reportedly deploying ballistic missiles into Iraq.

Pompeo urged Iraqi leaders to quickly form a new government, with the May 12 parliamentary election now far behind.

“If true, this would be a gross violation of Iraqi sovereignty and of UNSCR 2231,” he said in his tweet.

Pompeo was referring to UN Security Council Resolution 2231 that underpinned the 2015 nuclear agreement between Iraq and six world powers.

Trump’s administration withdrew the US from the nuclear deal earlier this year and re-imposed sanctions against Iran.

Editing by Nadia Riva