PM Sudani: US Strikes on Iraqi Military Positions Will Lead to ‘Irresponsible Escalation’ 

 Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani looks on as he attends the 54th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum, in Davos, Switzerland, January 18, 2024. (Reuters)
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani looks on as he attends the 54th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum, in Davos, Switzerland, January 18, 2024. (Reuters)
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PM Sudani: US Strikes on Iraqi Military Positions Will Lead to ‘Irresponsible Escalation’ 

 Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani looks on as he attends the 54th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum, in Davos, Switzerland, January 18, 2024. (Reuters)
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani looks on as he attends the 54th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum, in Davos, Switzerland, January 18, 2024. (Reuters)

Strikes by the United States on Iraqi military positions will lead to "irresponsible escalation" and violate the country's sovereignty, Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani's office said in a statement on Wednesday.

The US carried out strikes against three facilities linked to Iran-backed militia on Tuesday, the Pentagon said.

Iraq will consider these operations as "aggressive actions" that undermine years of cooperation, the Iraqi government statement added.

"These precision strikes are in direct response to a series of escalatory attacks against US and Coalition personnel in Iraq and Syria by Iranian-sponsored militias," US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement.

Kataib Hezbollah military spokesperson Jaafar al-Husseini said in a post on X that the group would continue to target "enemy bases" until the end of Israel's siege in Gaza and singled out US support for Israel's campaign.



Palestinians in Jenin Observe a General Strike

A Palestinian police officer attempts to disperse demonstrators during a protest against clashes between Palestinian security forces and militants in the northern occupied West Bank city of Jenin on December 21, 2024. (Photo by Jaafar ASHTIYEH / AFP)
A Palestinian police officer attempts to disperse demonstrators during a protest against clashes between Palestinian security forces and militants in the northern occupied West Bank city of Jenin on December 21, 2024. (Photo by Jaafar ASHTIYEH / AFP)
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Palestinians in Jenin Observe a General Strike

A Palestinian police officer attempts to disperse demonstrators during a protest against clashes between Palestinian security forces and militants in the northern occupied West Bank city of Jenin on December 21, 2024. (Photo by Jaafar ASHTIYEH / AFP)
A Palestinian police officer attempts to disperse demonstrators during a protest against clashes between Palestinian security forces and militants in the northern occupied West Bank city of Jenin on December 21, 2024. (Photo by Jaafar ASHTIYEH / AFP)

Palestinians in the volatile northern West Bank town of Jenin are observing a general strike called by militant groups to protest a rare crackdown by Palestinian security forces.
An Associated Press reporter in Jenin heard gunfire and explosions, apparently from clashes between militants and Palestinian security forces. It was not immediately clear if anyone was killed or wounded. There was no sign of Israeli troops in the area.
Shops were closed in the city on Monday, the day after militants killed a member of the Palestinian security forces and wounded two others.
Militant groups called for a general strike across the territory, accusing the security forces of trying to disarm them in support of Israel’s half-century occupation of the territory.
The Western-backed Palestinian Authority is internationally recognized but deeply unpopular among Palestinians, in part because it cooperates with Israel on security matters. Israel accuses the authority of incitement and of failing to act against armed groups.
The Palestinian Authority blamed Sunday’s attack on “outlaws.” It says it is committed to maintaining law and order but will not police the occupation.
The Palestinian Authority exercises limited authority in population centers in the West Bank. Israel captured the territory in the 1967 Mideast War, and the Palestinians want it to form the main part of their future state.
Israel’s current government is opposed to Palestinian statehood and says it will maintain open-ended security control over the territory. Violence has soared in the West Bank following Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack out of Gaza, which ignited the war there.