Iraq has accused Israel of attempting to legitimize an attack on its territory, after the Israeli foreign ministry protested to the United Nations about attacks by Iraqi militants.
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a loose alliance of armed groups backed by Iran, has claimed almost daily drone attacks targeting Israel in recent months, which they say are in support of their Palestinian ally Hamas.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar called on the UN Security Council Monday to pressure Iraq to end the attacks launched from its soil.
Saar said Israel would take “all necessary measures to protect itself and its citizens” from the attacks.
In a statement late Tuesday, the Iraqi government rejected the Israeli complaint.
“These allegations are merely excuses intended to justify planned aggression against Iraq,” it said, adding that it was already taking measures “to prevent the use of Iraqi territory for launching attacks”.
The Iraqi government, which is dominated by pro-Iranian parties, has been pursuing a delicate balancing act in its efforts to keep out of the regional conflict sparked by Hamas’s attack on Israel in October last year.
While most drones launched from Iraq have been intercepted by Israeli air defences, one in early October killed two soldiers and wounded 24 at a base in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights.
