Shafaq News<\/p>\n
Iraq is facing
\na fresh wave of regional pressure after Saudi Arabia struck sites inside the
\ncountry and several neighboring states, including Kuwait, Jordan and Syria,
\nwarned Baghdad that any attack launched from Iraqi soil against their territory
\nwould be met with direct military retaliation against armed factions inside the
\ncountry.<\/p>\n
The warnings,
\nconveyed through diplomatic channels in recent days, reflect growing alarm that
\nIraq is being pulled more into confrontation between the United States and Iran
\nand its regional allies.<\/p>\n
This pressure
\nfollows a string of drone and rocket attacks attributed to Iran-aligned Iraqi
\narmed factions, targeting interests and installations in neighboring states,
\nchiefly Saudi Arabia. It has prompted regional calls on Baghdad to prevent
\nIraqi territory from being used to threaten the wider region’s security.<\/p>\n
In response, Al-Zaidi also Read more: Wednesday’s US-Saudi attack on Iraq: What Is Known<\/a><\/p>\n Regional Saudi Arabia Media reports The Islamic A lawmaker from He told Shafaq Read more: Iraq’s mediation bid between Washington and Tehran hinges on al-Zaidi’spolitical weight<\/a><\/p>\n Drivers of the The These Since February Positions
\nthe Iraqi government has insisted it will not allow its territory to be used to
\nattack neighboring states. Prime Minister and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces
\nAli al-Zaidi<\/a>, chairing an emergency security meeting on Saturday evening,
\nstressed the need to prevent any breach or threat originating from Iraq, and
\nordered the formation of a joint security committee along with deterrent
\nmechanisms to prevent further violations.<\/p>\n
\ndirected security and military agencies to raise their level of readiness and
\nstrengthen intelligence and defensive measures, affirming that protecting Iraqi
\nsovereignty and preventing the country from becoming an arena for settling
\nregional scores is the exclusive responsibility of official state institutions.<\/p>\n
\nPressure Mounts<\/p>\n
\nannounced in recent days that it had intercepted drones it said were launched
\nfrom Iraqi airspace toward vital installations inside the kingdom, and
\nresponded, in coordination with US Central Command (CENTCOM), by striking sites
\nand depots affiliated with the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF<\/a>) \u2014the
\nstate-affiliated umbrella of largely Iran-aligned armed groups\u2014 resulting,
\naccording to the PMF, in 20 deaths and 32 injuries.<\/p>\n
\nalso indicated that Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Syria and Kuwait sent messages to
\nBaghdad warning that any new attack originating from Iraqi territory would be
\nmet with direct strikes<\/a> on armed-faction positions inside the country. Several
\nGulf states have voiced concern over the continued activity of armed groups
\noperating outside the government’s decision-making authority, urging Baghdad to
\ntake concrete steps to prevent Iraqi territory from being used in operations
\nthat threaten regional security.<\/p>\n
\nResistance<\/a> in Iraq, an umbrella label used by the country’s Iran-aligned armed
\nfactions, denied responsibility for the strikes on Saudi Arabia, stating that
\nRiyadh was “casting accusations toward Iraq” and that claims linking
\nthe group to the bombing of Saudi oil facilities in the Eastern Province and
\nRiyadh had no basis in fact.<\/p>\n
\nthe Sadiqoon bloc, the parliamentary wing of the Iran-aligned Asaib Ahl al-Haq,
\nand a member of the parliamentary Security and Defense Committee, Sakr
\nal-Mohammedawi, described the protection of Iraqi sovereignty as a national
\npriority that admits no compromise, affirming that any targeting of Iraqi
\nterritory by any party constitutes a violation of sovereignty and a breach of
\ninternational law.<\/p>\n
\nNews that security files must be handled through diplomatic channels and
\ndialogue rather than the language of threats and force, warning that any
\nmilitary escalation inside Iraq would carry serious consequences for the
\nsecurity of both the country and the region. He also called on the government
\nto take the necessary measures to protect national sovereignty, strengthen the
\ncapabilities of the security forces, and intensify diplomatic engagement with
\nneighboring states and international partners to prevent violations of Iraqi
\nairspace or territory. “We need a unified national position that keeps
\nIraq out of regional conflicts.”<\/p>\n
\nEscalation<\/p>\n
\nIran-aligned factions describe their actions as part of a
\n“resistance” framework against the United States and its regional
\nallies. This posture has intensified since the outbreak of the war in Gaza on
\nOctober 7, 2023, and the rise in tension between Washington and Tehran.<\/p>\n
\ndevelopments unfold as the region edges closer to a wider confrontation between
\nWashington and Tehran. Media reports have indicated that Iran’s Islamic
\nRevolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) held contacts with leaders of Iraqi factions,
\nLebanon’s Hezbollah, and Yemen’s Houthis to discuss expanding operations in the
\nevent of a full-scale confrontation with the United States, with Tehran
\nreportedly weighing activation of its regional network to target American bases
\nand interests in Iraq and Syria to raise the cost of any confrontation for Washington.
\nIraqi factions have since raised their readiness levels, while the government
\nhas taken security precautions in anticipation of possible developments in the
\nfield.<\/p>\n
\n28, 2026, when the United States and Israel launched their war on Iran, Iraqi
\ngroups have claimed responsibility for hundreds<\/a> of attacks on US bases and
\ninterests in Iraq and the region before their threats expanded to include Gulf
\nstates. Among the most prominent groups in this context are Kataib Hezbollah,
\nwhich has repeatedly declared its affiliation with the Axis Of Resistance \u2014the
\nIran-led regional alliance of allied states and armed groups\u2014 and adopted
\nrhetoric hostile to the US presence; Harakat al-Nujaba, which maintains an
\narmed wing and is considered one of the factions closest to Iran; and Kataib
\nSayyid al-Shuhada, which rejects relinquishing its military capabilities
\noutside full state control.<\/p>\n
\ndiverge, however, on the issue of restricting weapons to the state: some
\nfactions have shown willingness to engage politically or reorganize their
\nrelationship with the state, while others refuse to give up their arsenals,
\nviewing them as part of their ideological and regional role. Asaib Ahl al-Haq,
\nby contrast, has moved further into formal political life, placing it in a more
\ndelicate position between political engagement and retaining military
\ninfluence.<\/p>\n