Above photo: Israeli air force.
The US army unilaterally allowed Israeli jets to fly over Iraqi airspace to launch missile strikes on Iranian military sites.
Baghdad announced on 28 October that a protest letter has been lodged with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemning Israel’s “flagrant violation” of Iraq’s airspace to launch airstrikes in neighboring Iran.
The office of Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani directed the foreign ministry to issue the letter and to communicate with Washington regarding this violation under the terms of the nations’ bilateral strategic framework agreement.
Officials who spoke with Shafaq News Agency said Baghdad “will not allow the use of Iraqi airspace or lands to attack other countries, especially neighboring countries that have relations of respect and common interests with Iraq.”
“This position reflects Iraq’s keenness to follow a policy of preserving the stability of the region by preventing any exploitation of its lands in regional conflicts and its support for resolving conflicts through dialogue and mutual understanding,” the Iraqi statement says.
According to Iran’s General Staff of the Armed Forces, Israeli fighter jets used US-controlled airspace over Iraq during the early hours of Saturday to launch attacks at Iranian military sites.
“Thanks to the prompt response of our national air defense, only limited damage was incurred, with a few radar systems affected,” a statement by the Iranian armed forces reads, adding that some systems were repaired “immediately” while others are still undergoing repairs.
The statement denounced the Israeli attack as an “illegal and unjustified action,” emphasizing that a “significant number of missiles were tracked and intercepted.”
Tehran also stressed the country’s “right to take lawful and legitimate action at an appropriate time,” emphasizing the need for a “lasting ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon” and accusing the US of playing a “central role” in supporting Israel’s “criminal actions that destabilize the region.”
“Israel’s attack on Iran was not carried out with Iraqi approval, but rather due to Washington’s control over Iraqi airspace and the radars of Iraq’s old air force. Iraqi Prime Minister Muhammad Shia al-Sudani does not make the decisions on this matter,” The Cradle’s correspondent in Iraq reported over the weekend.