The headline on Al Arabiya's website reads: "Iraqi Government: No Houthi Headquarters in Iraq."
In the report, Haider al-Aboudi, the Iraqi government's official spokesperson, told the Iraqi News Agency: "No such headquarters have been identified inside Iraq," adding that "the matter does not require any government action or decision concerning something that does not exist in the first place."
Al-Aboudi also stressed that "Iraq will not serve as a launching point for attacks against neighboring countries, nor will it harbor any armed group involved in a particular conflict."
As for everything being said about Houthi activities originating from Iraq, whether military, political, intelligence-related or social, these are merely "narratives circulating on social media," according to the Iraqi government spokesperson.
The fact is that anyone who cares about Iraq's stability and peace, and about protecting the entire region from the devastation of chaos and the evils of militias that spread destruction and discord, sincerely hopes this is true.
Iraq has suffered enough from its own domestic league of militias. The last thing it needs is a "foreign player."
Still, it is worth recalling that Houthi activity in Iraq is not merely a collection of social media narratives. Here are just a few examples.
In September 2024, then-US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller spoke of the Houthis opening "secret offices" in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad. The New York Times also published a report on the matter.
Former Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari previously said on the program Baghdad Hour, hosted by journalist Mustafa Saadoun, that information pointed to Houthi activity inside Iraq, citing the deaths of Houthi members in strikes targeting armed factions in the country.
Zebari added that "information indicates the Houthis had a hand in the attack on Saudi Arabia's East-West pipeline."
Al Jazeera, of all outlets, reported on a figure named Abu Idris Ahmed al-Sharafi, the Houthi group's representative in Iraq.
It also published a photograph of him being received by Qais al-Khazali, a man who hardly needs an introduction!
An earlier article in this very column provided further details.
But that is not what matters most.
What matters is the statement made by Mr. Al-Aboudi, spokesperson for the Iraqi government headed by Mr. Ali al-Zaidi.
His words deserve to be acknowledged and welcomed. More importantly, they must be followed by genuine, detailed and sustained action, rather than becoming empty words scattered by the wind.
It is in Iraq's interest, in the interest of its neighbors and Yemen, and indeed in the interest of peace throughout the world, that Iraq should never become a refuge or launching pad for groups that care nothing for the interests of Iraq, its state or its people.
And one final point: Iraq's example should draw attention to other places around the world where the Houthis operate, whether financially, through the media, politically, militarily or logistically.
These activities must be brought into the light, and the networks behind them contained and dismantled until these dark pockets are eliminated.
