Iraq warns US against ‘attacks’ after strikes against Iran-backed groups

Iraq’s prime minister warns Washington against any “attack” on Iraqi territory after a resumption of fighting in the Israel-Hamas war renewed concerns of a wider conflict.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani makes the comment during a phone call made to him by United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Sudani’s office says.

On November 22, US fighter jets struck two targets in Iraq, killing nine pro-Iran fighters in retaliation for repeated attacks on American troops, US and Iraqi sources said.

Hours earlier, a warplane struck the vehicle of Iran-backed fighters after they had fired a short-range ballistic missile at US and allied personnel, according to the Pentagon.

The strikes came after US forces deployed in Iraq and Syria were attacked at least 74 times, according to Pentagon officials, a surge linked to the war between Israel and Hamas.

During his call with Blinken, Sudani rejected “any attack on Iraqi territory,” the statement from his office says.

Sudani also said the Iraqi government is committed “to ensuring the safety of the international coalition advisers present in Iraq.”

The US strikes targeted positions of the Hashed al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization), a coalition of former paramilitary forces integrated into the Iraqi regular military.

Washington’s strikes killed nine fighters, according to tolls by the Hezbollah Brigades, an important faction within the Hashed al-Shaabi.