Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani has urged Britain, Spain and Switzerland to exert pressure to ease the tensions in the region and help avert an Israeli strike on Iraq as part of its retaliation to Iran’s ballistic missile attack last week and after two Israeli soldiers were killed in a drone strike in Syria’s occupied Golan Heights.
Israel accused Iraqi factions of carrying out the drone attack.
Iraqi factions, which used to boast of their attacks against Israel, denied that they were behind the latest strike.
A source close to the ruling pro-Iran Coordination Framework said it was pressuring the factions against becoming involved in any Iranian-Israeli confrontation.
The source told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Framework has tasked Sudani to do what must be done to protect Iraq from an Israeli strike that could go beyond faction headquarters to reach their leaderships or even vital Iraqi facilities.
However, head of the Center for Political Thinking in Iraq Dr. Ihssan Shmary said Baghdad had a valuable opportunity to avert war when it could have turned to politics and diplomacy rather than become embroiled in the larger conflict between Israel and Iran and its regional proxies.
It seems the opportunity has been wasted given that no one has seized any initiative, he told Asharq Al-Awsat.
He explained that the government acted under pressure from the Coordination Framework, which is an extension of Iran, meaning that Iraq is effectively involved in the conflict.
Moreover, Shmary criticized Iraq for failing to support and join any of the recent Arab initiatives, notably the new global coalition to establish a Palestinian state based on the two-state solution.
Iraq should have been part of the Saudi-led coalition, which is a positive step in the Palestinian cause away from the slogans that are touted by the armed factions, he stressed.
Shmary predicted that Israel will “no doubt” strike Iraq because it views it as part of the “axis of enemies” given that it harbors the pro-Iran armed factions.
Meanwhile, in a statement marking a year since Hamas’ October 7 attack against Israel, Sudani noted that the “Zionist aggression continues on Gaza, has extended to brotherly Lebanon and is threatening the entire region.”
He recalled Iraq’s early stance that warned against Israel’s intention to expand the conflict and the consequences of allowing it to get away with its crimes amid the international community’s failure to assume its responsibilities.
He hailed French President Emmanuel Macron’s call on Saturday to stop sending weapons to Israel and to work on ending the war.
Sudani had postponed last week a visit to Britain because of developments in the region and the Israeli escalation in southern Lebanon.
He held a meeting with British Ambassador to Baghdad Stephen Hitchen to set a new date for the visit.
In a statement from his office, Sudani underscored the need for the international community and United Nations Security Council to play their primary role in preserving security and stability, especially as “the Zionist aggression continues in Gaza and Lebanon.”
He accused Israel of committing genocide, stressing that this demands international condemnation.
Sudani also held telephone talks with his Spanish counterpart Pedro Sanchez and received new Swiss Ambassador to Iraq Daniel Hunn. He hoped their countries would pressure the European Union to play a role in easing the tensions in the region.
