Iraq is furious after a series of ‘mystery’ blasts have rocked pro-Iran militia bases in and around Baghdad over the past weeks. Two Iraqi military bases storing munitions held by the country’s Shiite paramilitaries have been hit in under two weeks, with the last one coming Tuesday, notably next to a major air base with US forces present, as well as Iraqi F-16s.
One Iraqi Parliament official told Lebanese broadcaster al-Mayadeen on Thursday that Baghdad has “proof” of Israeli involvement in the strikes, which others have actually blamed on extreme temperatures igniting munitions stores at the bases.
“We have proof that Israeli air forces hit several targets in Iraq, including the al-Saqr and Amerli bases. Israel claims that the Popular Mobilisation Forces have connections to Iran and Lebanon’s Hezbollah,” said Karim Alaiwi, a member of the Security and Defense Committee in the Iraqi Parliament.
He further charged in the interview that the US coordinated with Israel, given the US Air Force largely controls Iraq’s airspace, according to his remarks.
#Iraq, South #Baghdad – #Iran-proxy Shiite-Iraqi militia weapons storage’s blast (12 August 2019) preliminary #damage assessment. #Before and #after#ISI #VISINT #IMINT #intelligence #assessment #BDA pic.twitter.com/0ClQCxaXX6
— ImageSat Intl. (@ImageSatIntl) August 14, 2019
He explained it as part of broader Israeli efforts to counter Iran in the region; however, he didn’t offer the actual proof or explain the exact nature of the information Iraq’s government possesses.
BREAKING – possible #Israel airstrikes hit an #Iran-backed #PMF weapons depot in #Iraq‘s Salah ad Din.
The explosions today come just days after #Baghdad demanded *all* aircraft (civil, military & recon) acquire prior MOD approval.
(Images via @BaxtiyarGoran) pic.twitter.com/AvKExUAMOm
— Charles Lister (@Charles_Lister) August 20, 2019
Regional media has claimed Israeli drones were spotted in the skies over Iraq just before the previous August 12th blast, which also brought condemnations alleging Israeli airstrikes.
This week Prime Minister Abdul-Mahdi ordered the removal of all ammunition depots within the boundaries of the Iraqi capital after multiple fatalities from the mystery blast, with some being the result of unspent munitions going off in the hours after the bases were struck.
Footage showing the August 12th arms depot blast, also widely blamed on Israel:
#Baghdad weapons depot blast #Iraq pic.twitter.com/TzsRlCr1al
— Steven nabil (@thestevennabil) August 12, 2019
The Iraqi PM also called for an end to all “unauthorized flights” including US drones, spy planes, jets, or helicopters. The directive demanded that all aerial vehicles comply with Iraqi law and operations must be under Iraqi government authorization.
via ZeroHedge News https://ift.tt/2TUDcmQ Tyler Durden