Iraq slams Bahrain FM for defending alleged Israeli strikes on army bases

Iraq condemns Bahrain’s top diplomat for defending a series of strikes against a powerful Iran-backed military force, acknowledging for the first time it believes the recent attacks on army bases were carried out by the Jewish state.

A string of Hashed al-Shaabi bases across Iraq have been hit by explosions and drone sightings over the past five weeks that the force has blamed on Israel and the US.

Earlier this week, Bahraini Foreign Minister Khaled bin Ahmed Al-Khalifa accused Iran of “declaring war on us” through allied armed groups, including the Hashed al-Shaabi in Iraq.

“Whoever strikes them and destroys their stacks of equipment cannot be blamed. This is self-defense,” he tweeted.

The comments prompted a sharp response from the Iraqi foreign ministry, who says it “rejects and condemns the Bahraini foreign minister’s tweet about the recent attacks on Arab territories and the Popular Mobilization Forces (Hashed) by Zionist enemy under the pretext of self-defense.”

It is the first time the Iraqi government had referred to attacks on the Hashed as carried out by Israel, although a statement by the presidency earlier this week said it was investigating “indications of foreign involvement.”

The Hashed has accused Israel of carrying out the latest attack on one of its units near the Iraqi-Syrian border on August 25.

— AFP