Iraqi premier orders measures to prevent attacks on neighboring countries

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaydi on Saturday ordered new security measures to prevent attacks or threats against neighboring countries originating from Iraqi territory, according to a statement from the prime minister’s media office.

Al-Zaydi, who also serves as commander-in-chief of the armed forces, chaired an emergency meeting to discuss regional security developments.

During the meeting, he ordered the formation of a joint security committee to address security challenges and develop deterrent mechanisms to prevent future violations or security breaches.

He also directed Iraq’s security agencies to enforce the law, strengthen security and stability, and fulfill their responsibilities in protecting the country’s sovereignty and maintaining good-neighborly relations.

The meeting affirmed the readiness of Iraq’s armed forces to thwart any attempt to target neighboring countries from within Iraqi territory and reiterated Baghdad’s commitment not to allow Iraq to be used as a launchpad or transit route for attacks against friendly and neighboring states, in line with the principles of sovereignty, good-neighborliness and international law.

The meeting came days after the US and Saudi Arabia said they had carried out coordinated strikes on logistics sites and weapons depots belonging to Iran-backed groups in seven Iraqi provinces, saying the operation was a response to drone attacks targeting oil facilities and military bases in the region.

Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) said the strikes killed 20 of its members and wounded 32 others, while Baghdad condemned the attacks as a violation of its sovereignty and denied claims that Iraqi authorities had approved or coordinated the operation. Iraqi officials have repeatedly stressed that the country will not allow its territory to be used to launch attacks against neighboring states.