Iraq lodges UN complaint over Israeli use of airspace in Iran attack

Airspace

Iraq has condemned Israel’s use of its airspace to attack Iran in a letter sent to United Nations chief Antonio Guterres, and the UN Security Council, Baghdad said on October 28 according to AFP.

The letter comes after Israel launched air strikes on military sites in Iran on October 26, risking further regional escalation more than a year into the Gaza war and a month into the Israel-Hezbollah war in Lebanon.

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A statement from government spokesman Bassim Alawadi said the letter condemns “the Zionist entity’s blatant violation of Iraq’s airspace and sovereignty by using Iraqi airspace to carry out an attack on the Islamic Republic of Iran on October 26.”

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The Israeli attack came in retaliation for an Iranian missile assault on October 1, itself a reprisal for the killing of Iran-backed militant leaders and a Revolutionary Guards commander.

Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said on October 28 that Tehran was “sure that no neighbouring country has given this permission to the Zionist regime” to use its airspace.

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“We certainly hope that our friends in Iraq will announce the necessary reactions, including by registering their protest with the United Nations, and will not allow such incidents to happen again,” Baghaei added.

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Baghdad has close ties with Tehran but also a strategic partnership with Washington, which has troops in Iraq as part of an international anti-jihadist coalition. The Iraqis have sought to avoid being dragged into the escalating regional conflict.

AFP

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