Iraqi President Barham Salih and Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi on Monday condemned airstrikes carried out the day before on targets associated with paramilitary groups linked to Iran, Reuters reported.
According to the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), which is comprised of Iranian-backed Shi’ite militias, two drones carried out the Sunday attacks, which it claimed killed one fighter and seriously wounded another. The PMF accused Israel of responsibility for the strikes, claiming they had been carried out with U.S. cooperation.
On Monday, the Pentagon said in a statement that U.S. forces were not responsible for the attacks or for other recent attacks on ammunition storage facilities in Iraq.
“We support Iraqi sovereignty and have repeatedly spoken out against any potential actions by external actors inciting violence in Iraq,” said the statement.
Speaking last week about possible Israeli involvement in strikes in Iraq, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: “We are operating—not just if needed, we are operating in many areas against a state that wants to annihilate us. Of course, I gave the security forces a free hand and instructed them to do anything necessary to thwart Iran’s plans.”
