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Report: Israel Sets 35 Strike Targets in Iraq as Sudani Seeks to Rein in Factions
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani has asked Shiite figures to mediate with Iran-backed armed factions to prevent them from getting involved in the war between fellow Iran-aligned Hezbollah in Lebanon and Israel, Iraqi sources said on Tuesday.
The PM launched the efforts after information circulated within the ruling Coordination Framework revealed that Israel had set 35 targets it may strike in Iraq.
The targets may be hit at any moment, and they include political and faction leaders, said a source.
The Iraqi factions have vowed to retaliate to Israel’s assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut last week. They announced that they were ready to fight alongside the group in southern Lebanon.
An Iraqi government spokesman had said that the local parties have managed to avoid an escalation, but political circles warned the fears persist that the factions may be dragged to war with Israel.
On Monday, the factions struck the Victoria Base Complex near Baghdad International Airport. The government is concerned that the United States and Israel may retaliate to the attack inside Iraq itself.
Sudani has been working on reining the factions. He recently tasked three influential figures, including a political religious official, with carrying out urgent contacts and meetings with the leaders of armed factions to persuade them to distance themselves from the conflict in Lebanon.
The PM held a regular meeting with the State Administration coalition, which includes the majority of political leaders, to discuss the latest developments in the region and their impact on Iraq, said a government statement.
It stressed the unity of Iraq’s position and its political forces, as well as their backing of the government’s stance on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
Sources said Sudani selected head of the Hikma movement Ammar al-Hakim to act as mediator with the armed factions to stop the escalation.
Despite his efforts, another source doubted that the factions would comply with Sudani or any other figure.
“They realize that the situation is dangerous, but they also believe that this is an existential battle aimed at striking at the very heart of the Axis of Resistance” that comprises Hezbollah and other Iran-backed armed factions in the region.
