Iraqi PM says Israeli seeking a pretext to justify attacks on Iraq

Iraq’s Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani has dismissed Israel’s complaint to the UN Security Council regarding attacks by Iraqi Shia militias. He called the move a “pretext and argument to attack Iraq” and an attempt to “expand the war in the region.”  

Earlier, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar shared a letter to the Security Council, stating: “Israel has the inherent right to self-defence … and to take all necessary measures to protect itself and its citizens against the ongoing acts of hostilities by Iranian-backed militias in Iraq.”  

Iraqi militias under the umbrella of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq have conducted drone strikes on Israeli targets in recent months, backing Hamas and Hezbollah in the region's ongoing conflicts.  

Saar claimed that some of these militias are part of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces, urging Baghdad to “take immediate action to halt and prevent these attacks.”  

Al-Sudani’s office responded, affirming Iraq’s refusal to engage in the regional conflict and emphasizing efforts to provide humanitarian relief to Palestinians and Lebanese affected by the crisis.