ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Abdul Amir Rashid Yarallah, chief of staff of the Iraqi army, oversaw a security meeting with top officials of the land, air, army aviation, and aerial defense forces on Sunday, discussing the recent escalations in the region and preparations for any cases of emergency.

“The meeting addressed the overall security situation in the region and the challenges it faces. The attendees also discussed the readiness of our security forces to provide the highest levels of safety for our country and the need to remain vigilant against any emergencies,” read a statement from the Iraqi defense ministry.

Lebanese Hezbollah and the Israeli military have been engaged in cross-border exchanges of fire for nearly a year. The Lebanese group initiated strikes on northern Israel a day after Hamas’ incursion into Israeli territory on October 7

The Israeli military announced on Saturday that Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah was “eliminated” alongside other Hezbollah commanders in a strike on the group’s central headquarters “which was located underground embedded under a residential building” in the southern suburbs of Beirut.

Hezbollah confirmed his death hours later.

Iraqi government and pro-Iran armed forces have strongly condemned Nasrallah’s killing. Militia groups, operating under the umbrella of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, have joined Hezbollah in carrying out strikes on Israel even before the death of Nasrallah. The group has claimed several drone, rocket, and cruise missile attacks on different parts of Israel and has vowed to continue.

Soon after the announcement of Nasrallah’s killing, Iran-backed armed groups poured into the streets of Baghdad protesting his assassination outside Baghdad’s Green Zone, where the US Embassy is located.

“The is not the end of the tools in the toolbox. The message is simple, to anyone who threatens the citizens of the State of Israel, we will know how to get to them,” said Herzi Halevi, chief of staff of the Israeli military, following the assassination of Nasrallah.