Gideon Sa’ar, Israeli Foreign Minister, sent a letter to the President of the UN Security Council on Monday, calling for urgent intervention regarding the activities of pro-Iranian militias in Iraq who are using Iraqi territory to carry out attacks against Israel. “I wish to express our deep concern over the significant increase in the frequency and intensity of attacks against Israel carried out by Iranian-backed militias in Iraq since September 2024,” Sa’ar wrote in his missive.
The minister details the actions of these groups: “Since the heinous terrorist attack by Hamas against Israel on October 7, 2023, pro-Iranian militias in Iraq, such as Kata’ib Hezbollah, Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq, Al Nujaba and others launched hundreds of Shahed, Ziad and Arpad drones towards Israel, as well as several dozen Raad 351 cruise missiles.
Sa’ar cites in particular an attack that occurred on October 3: “Two drones loaded with explosives were launched from Iraq, one was intercepted by air defenses and the second struck a military base in the north of Iraq. Israel, causing the death of two soldiers and injuring 24 others.
The minister emphasizes that these militias “are part of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), a paramilitary network sponsored by the Iraqi state, operating under the directives of Iran.” He recalls that “the Iraqi government is responsible, according to international law, for preventing the use of its territory as a base for attacks against other nations.”
Sa’ar concludes by invoking “Israel’s inherent right to self-defense, as enshrined in Article 51 of the UN Charter”, and calls on the Security Council to “ensure that the government Iraqi government respects its obligations under the UN Charter and international law.
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