B5
THE ASTORIAN • SATURDAY, AUGUST 24, 2019
Strikes on militias threaten to destabilize Iraq
Future of thousands
of American troops
could be affected
By QASSIM ABDUL-
ZAHRA and LOLITA
BALDOR
Associated Press
BAGHDAD — An Israeli
airstrike on an Iranian weap-
ons depot in Iraq, confi rmed
by U.S. offi cials, is threaten-
ing to destabilize security in
the volatile country that has
struggled to remain neutral
in the confl ict between Wash-
ington and Tehran.
It would be the fi rst
known
Israeli
airstrike
in Iraq since 1981, when
Israeli warplanes destroyed a
nuclear reactor being built by
Saddam Hussein, and signifi -
cantly expands Israel’s cam-
paign against Iranian military
involvement in the region.
The July 19 attack tar-
geted a base belonging to
Iranian-backed
paramili-
tary forces in Amirli in the
northern Salaheddin prov-
ince, and killed two Irani-
ans. The attack was followed
by at least two other myste-
rious explosions at munitions
depot near Baghdad belong-
ing to the militias.
No one has claimed
responsibility for any of the
attacks, which have set back
security and stability in the
country just as it appeared
to be on the path to recov-
ery following a devastating
fi ght against the Islamic State
group, and decades of war
and confl ict before that.
Earlier this week, the dep-
uty head of the Iraqi Shiite
militias, known collectively
as the Popular Mobiliza-
tion Forces, openly accused
Israeli drones of carry-
ing out the attacks but ulti-
mately blamed Washington
for allowing it to happen and
threatened strong retaliation
for any future attack.
Iraq’s government, by
contrast, has said it is inves-
tigating the attacks and has
yet to determine who was
behind them, warning against
attempts to drag Iraq into any
confrontation.
Security analyst Motaz
Mohieh said Iraq’s weak
government will not be able
to announce the results of
AP Photo/Loay Hameed
Plumes of smoke rise Aug. 12 after an explosion at a military base southwest of Baghdad, Iraq.
its investigation “because it
will constitute an embarrass-
ment” for it.
“These strikes will con-
tinue to target the factions
associated with Iran that
cause a threat to Israel and the
U.S. presence,” he predicted.
The fallout could directly
affect the future of thousands
of American troops in Iraq,
providing ammunition and
pretext for hard-line factions
who want them to leave.
Signifi cantly, a leading
Shiite Muslim cleric fol-
lowed by some Iraqi militant
factions issued a public reli-
gious edict, or fatwa, on Fri-
day that forbids the presence
of U.S. troops in Iraq follow-
ing the strikes.
In his fatwa, Iran-based
Grand Ayatollah Kazim
al-Haeri also urged Iraq’s
armed forces to “resist and
confront the (U.S.) enemy,”
a call that is likely to infl ame
tensions in Iraq.
Former Iraqi Prime Min-
ister Nouri al-Maliki also
weighed in, warning of a
“strong response” if it is
proven that Israel was behind
the recent airstrikes in Iraq.
In statements issued by
his offi ce, he also said that if
Israel continues to target Iraq,
the country “will transform
into a battle arena that drags
in multiple countries, includ-
ing Iran.”
three-year campaign.
The U.S. maintains about
5,000 troops in Iraq, and
some groups say there’s no
longer a justifi cation for them
to be there now that IS has
been defeated.
‘BE SURE THAT IF THE
CONFRONTATION BETWEEN US
STARTS, IT WILL ONLY END WITH
YOUR REMOVAL FROM THE
REGION ONCE AND FOR ALL.’
statement from Hezbollah Brigades, which
hold the U.S. responsible for the strikes
U.S. forces withdrew from
Iraq in 2011, but returned in
2014 at the invitation of the
government to help battle IS
after it seized vast areas in the
north and west of the country,
including the second-largest
city, Mosul. A U.S.-led coali-
tion provided crucial air sup-
port as Iraqi forces regrouped
and drove IS out in a costly
The comments by al-Ma-
liki, who was prime minis-
ter for eight years and now
heads a Shiite bloc in par-
liament, follow fi ery threats
to the U.S. made hours ear-
lier by the powerful Hezbol-
lah Brigades, an Iran-backed
militia. In a statement, it
held the U.S. responsible for
the strikes and said any new
attacks will be met with a
harsh response.
“Be sure that if the con-
frontation between us starts,
it will only end with your
removal from the region once
and for all,” it said.
Two U.S. offi cials said
Israel carried out an attack on
the Iranian weapons depot in
July that killed two Iranian
military commanders.
A senior offi cial with the
Shiite militias at the time said
that the base housed advis-
ers from Iran and Lebanon
— a reference to the Irani-
an-backed Lebanese Hezbol-
lah group. He said the attack
targeted the headquarters of
the advisers and a weapons
depot, causing a huge explo-
sion and fi re.
Iranian media reported a
funeral the next day for Abol-
fazl Sarabian, identifi ed as a
“shrine defender,” which typ-
ically denotes someone fi ght-
ing in Iraq and Syria.
On Aug. 12, a massive
explosion killed one per-
son and wounded 28 at the
al-Saqr military base near
Baghdad, shaking the capi-
tal. The base housed a weap-
ons depot for the Iraqi federal
police and the PMF. The most
recent of the explosions came
Tuesday night, at a munitions
depot north of Baghdad.
There have been weeks of
speculation in Israel that the
army is attacking targets in
Iraq.
The confi rmation comes
as Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu hinted
strongly that his country is
behind recent airstrikes on
bases and munitions depot
belonging to Iran-backed
paramilitary forces operating
in Iraq.
In an interview with a
Russian-language TV station
Thursday, Netanyahu indi-
cated the speculation is true.
“I don’t give Iran immu-
nity anywhere,” he said,
accusing the Iranians of try-
ing to establish bases “against
us everywhere,” including
Syria, Lebanon, Yemen and
Iraq.
Asked whether that means
Israel is operating in Iraq,
Netanyahu said: “We act in
many arenas against a coun-
try that desires to annihilate
us. Of course I gave the secu-
rity forces a free hand and
the instruction to do what is
needed to thwart these plans
of Iran.”
The New York Times, cit-
ing Israeli and U.S. offi cials,
reported Friday that Israel
bombed an Iranian weapons
depot in Iraq last month.
Israel has previously
acknowledged hundreds of
airstrikes on Iranian targets
in neighboring Syria, primar-
ily arms shipments believed
to be destined for Iran’s Hez-
bollah allies.
Israel considers Iran to be
its greatest enemy and has
repeatedly vowed it will not
allow the Iranians, who are
supporting the forces of Syr-
ian President Bashar Assad,
to establish a permanent mili-
tary presence in Syria.
To strike Iraq, Israeli war-
planes could potentially
travel through neighboring
Syria — although that would
likely require agreement
from Russia, which oper-
ates in Syrian skies in sup-
port of the Syrian president.
Israel and Russia maintain
a hotline to prevent their air
forces from clashing in Syr-
ian airspace.
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