BAGHDAD: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken made a surprise visit to Baghdad on Sunday following a trip to the occupied West Bank earlier in the day.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohamed Shia Al-Sudani met Blinken, the premier’s office said, with the two expected to discuss the risks of escalation in Israel’s war with Hamas.
Blinken’s visit — which came after a brief stop in Cyprus to discuss a possible maritime aid route to Gaza — was not announced in advance for security reasons.
Since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, a series of rocket and drone attacks have targeted military bases hosting US forces in Iraq.
“I made very clear that attacks or threats coming from militias that are aligned with Iran are totally unacceptable,” Blinken said on Sunday.
“We will take every necessary step to protect our people,” he added during a meeting with Sudani.
Washington has accused Iran of having a hand in the attacks which have also targeted American troops in Syria.
Most of the attacks have been claimed by a group known as “Islamic Resistance in Iraq,” according to Telegram channels affiliated with Iraqi factions close to Tehran.
Figures released by the Pentagon on Friday showed that between October 17 and November 3 there were 17 attacks in Iraq and 12 in Syria.
Some 2,500 American troops are deployed in Iraq, tasked with advising their Iraqi counterparts in the fight against the Daesh group.
Sudani condemned the attacks and said that investigations were under way to determine the perpetrators.
Iraq’s prime minister has repeatedly called for a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip and has described Israel’s military operation in the coastal territory as a “genocide” against the Palestinian people.
Iraq does not recognize Israel as a state and its government is close to Iran, which in turn backs Hamas.
Blinken is engaged in a whirlwind tour of the Middle East, having visited Israel on Friday followed by Jordan on Saturday for talks with King Abdullah II and where he took part in ministerial meetings with five of his Arab counterparts.
On Sunday morning, he traveled to the occupied West Bank to meet Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, followed by a stop in Cyprus where he met the president and foreign minister.
Blinken on surprise visit to Baghdad, meets with PM
https://arab.news/7msa5
Blinken on surprise visit to Baghdad, meets with PM
- Iraqi Prime Minister Mohamed Shia Al-Sudani met Blinken
Israeli strikes in Gaza kill 12
- Strikes hit locations in northern and southern Gaza, including an apartment building in Gaza City and a tent in Khan Younis
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip: Hospitals in Gaza said Israeli strikes killed at least 12 Palestinians Saturday, one of the highest tolls since an October agreement aimed at stopping the fighting.
The strikes hit locations in northern and southern Gaza, including an apartment building in Gaza City and a tent in Khan Younis, officials at hospitals that received the bodies said. The casualties included two women and six children from two different families.
The Shifa Hospital said the Gaza City strike took killed a mother, three children and one of their relatives, while the Nasser Hospital said a strike in a tent camp caused a fire to break out, killing seven, including a father, his three children and three grandchildren.
Gaza’s Health Ministry has recorded more than 500 Palestinians killed by Israeli fire since the start of the ceasefire on Oct. 10. The ministry, which is part of the Hamas-led government, maintains detailed casualty records that are seen as generally reliable by UN agencies and independent experts.
Israel’s military did not immediately respond to questions about the strikes.
