ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Israel on Monday submitted a letter to the United Nations Security Council, urging the body to take “immediate action” to address the growing strikes by pro-Iran Iraqi armed factions on Israeli territory, calling the Iraqi government “responsible” for the attacks.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar expressed his country’s “grave concern” over the “significant increase in the frequency and the intensity” of attacks carried out against Israeli targets by Iran-backed militias in Iraq since September 2024, calling the attacks “a blatant violation of the UN Charter and International Law.”
“Attacks by the Iranian-backed militias in Iraq are aimed deliberately to strike national infrastructure, civilian areas as well as military bases,” wrote the Israeli foreign minister, stressing that while some of the projectiles have been intercepted, others have “made impact in Israeli territory.”
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella network of Iran-backed armed groups, has claimed hundreds of attacks against Israeli and American targets since October 2023 in response to the war in Gaza.
The group has intensified its attacks on Israeli territory in recent months following the killing of several “Axis of Resistance” leaders in Israeli strikes.
Two Israeli soldiers were killed and 24 others wounded in an attack on the annexed Golan Heights launched from Iraq in early October.
“The Government of Iraq is responsible under international law to prevent the use of its territory as a base for attacks against other notions,” wrote Sa’ar, calling on Baghdad to “fulfill this obligation and to take immediate action to halt and prevent these attacks.”
The letter urged the Security Council to “take immediate action to address this situation and ensure that the Government of Iraq fulfills its obligations to the UN Charter and International Law.”
The Iraqi government has mostly remained silent on the armed factions’ attacks on Israel but repeatedly stressed that “the decision of war and peace” was in the hands of the government, warning “anyone who deviates from that will face the state,” likely referring to the armed groups.
Iraq has so far managed to shield itself from the conflict's direct effects, but continued attacks by pro-Iran Iraqi armed factions against Israeli targets have raised concerns of a potential Israeli retaliation.
The Iraqi government in late October submitted an official protest note to the United Nations over Israel’s use of Iraq’s airspace for its attack on Iran, describing it as a “flagrant violation.”
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar expressed his country’s “grave concern” over the “significant increase in the frequency and the intensity” of attacks carried out against Israeli targets by Iran-backed militias in Iraq since September 2024, calling the attacks “a blatant violation of the UN Charter and International Law.”
“Attacks by the Iranian-backed militias in Iraq are aimed deliberately to strike national infrastructure, civilian areas as well as military bases,” wrote the Israeli foreign minister, stressing that while some of the projectiles have been intercepted, others have “made impact in Israeli territory.”
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella network of Iran-backed armed groups, has claimed hundreds of attacks against Israeli and American targets since October 2023 in response to the war in Gaza.
The group has intensified its attacks on Israeli territory in recent months following the killing of several “Axis of Resistance” leaders in Israeli strikes.
Two Israeli soldiers were killed and 24 others wounded in an attack on the annexed Golan Heights launched from Iraq in early October.
“The Government of Iraq is responsible under international law to prevent the use of its territory as a base for attacks against other notions,” wrote Sa’ar, calling on Baghdad to “fulfill this obligation and to take immediate action to halt and prevent these attacks.”
The letter urged the Security Council to “take immediate action to address this situation and ensure that the Government of Iraq fulfills its obligations to the UN Charter and International Law.”
The Iraqi government has mostly remained silent on the armed factions’ attacks on Israel but repeatedly stressed that “the decision of war and peace” was in the hands of the government, warning “anyone who deviates from that will face the state,” likely referring to the armed groups.
Iraq has so far managed to shield itself from the conflict's direct effects, but continued attacks by pro-Iran Iraqi armed factions against Israeli targets have raised concerns of a potential Israeli retaliation.
The Iraqi government in late October submitted an official protest note to the United Nations over Israel’s use of Iraq’s airspace for its attack on Iran, describing it as a “flagrant violation.”
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