More than two thousand dead and about 10 thousand wounded in Lebanon in a year of escalation between Hezbollah and Israel

At a time when Baghdad continues its moves to prevent escalation in the region and to free Iraq from its effects, Iraqi Prime Minister Muhammad Shiaa al-Sudan warned of the dangers surrounding the region and the world as a result of the continued Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. in pursuit of what he called a policy of widening the scope of the war, referring to how he moved the war against “the movement of war.” Hamas in Gaza to Lebanon against Hezbollah.

Al-Sudani’s words came at a time when groups of the so-called “Islamic Resistance in Iraq” announced that they had launched a march at dawn on Monday against a military target in Israel “in support to our people in Palestine and Lebanon. ,” stressing that they were continuing to “hit enemy strongholds at an ever-increasing pace.”

Al-Sudani, in a letter addressed to US President Joe Biden and the countries of the European Union on the occasion of the one-year anniversary of the events of October 7, emphasized that “the region is standing close to a dangerous slide that could drag. himself and the world to continual wars.”

The Prime Minister of Sudan, in a statement, said, “with a year having passed since the events of October 7, 2023, and the continuation of the Zionist attack against Gaza, the expansion to brotherly Lebanon, and the threat to the entire region, it has been ‘ reminding Iraq of its early situation, in which it warned of the impact of the usurping entity’s attempt to expand… War, conflict, and the impact it would have on committing crimes, among the inability of the international community to play its part.”

Al-Sudani continued: “Today, due to the dangerous effects that the region is seeing, we direct our message to all friends, especially the US President Joe Biden, and countries of the European Union, that we are standing at the time of a dangerous slide that. It can drag the region and the world into continuous wars, shake the world economy, and put development at risk, especially since our region represents the lung from which the world takes breath of energy.” Al-Sudani appreciated what he considered an important position with French President Emmanuel Macron, “in which he asked to stop the supply of weapons to the usurping group, and work to end on the war.” Because it is a situation that arises from a real understanding of the seriousness of the situation in the area. “

Regarding his government’s position, Al-Sudani said: “Our government has been working hard to save Iraq from the effects of this escalation, and we succeeded in doing so with your cooperation and in the cooperation with all the friends of the world doubling our efforts, and making it our top priority to stop targeting civilians and save the region from the evils of war.” Do not leave or go, and there will be no winner except the logic of killing, sabotage and destruction that Iraq will continue its efforts and efforts with friendly and brotherly countries, and work together to settle and to prevent the conflict from escalating which will affect the security of the region and the world.”

In addition, and in conjunction with Al-Sudani’s message, Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein spoke with the US Ambassador in Baghdad, Alina Romanowski, about developments in the situation in the Middle East region. A statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Sunday said, “The meeting dealt with the results of Minister Hussein’s visit to Washington and the discussions he had with senior American officials.” The statement indicated that “the discussion touched on the dangerous conditions in the Middle East region and the possibility of a war breaking out in which several countries, who want the American government to put pressure on Israel to stop its military operations in Gaza and Lebanon, and prevent the spread of the conflict to other countries in the region.”

Armed men from an Iraqi group celebrate in Basra (southern Iraq) after Iran launched ballistic missiles against Israel on October 1 (Reuters)

Fear… and a bank of goals

There are different fears within Iraq about the country’s ability to get involved in the possible conflict between Iran and Israel, especially after the increase in threats between the two parties. It should be noted that Iraqi armed groups, which call themselves “Islamic rebels,” have denied responsibility for the killing of two Israeli soldiers who were killed in a march launched from Iraq, according to what Tel Aviv said. The rejection came at a time when there were different positions regarding the extent to which any Israeli targets would reach Iraqi groups, as a result of talk of an Iraqi target bank that could be targeted by Israeli strikes.

In this context, the head of the Badr Group, Moin Al-Kadhimi, announced that “the failure of Iraqi groups to use the territory of ​​Syria to target Israel is due to respect for the -the closure and sovereignty of Syria, together with other calculations” he made. unpublished. But Al-Kadhimi, in a press release, considered that “(anti-Islamists) have the right to target Israel in every place, but it respects the borders and national sovereignty of the countries of the region,” he said. Although the “Badr Organization,” led by Hadi Al-Amiri, is part of a political alliance called “Nabni,” and is a party in the political equation within the Shiite ruling forces” coordination framework,” issued the statements. one of its leaders means the possibility of expanding the scope of the conflict so that it is not limited to armed groups that are loyal to Iran and are not involved in the political process in the country. According to Al-Kadhimi, a member of the Iraqi parliament, “the brutal war led by the Israeli entity on the Gaza Strip for a whole year, the brutal practices of the occupying army in the southern regions of Lebanon, the bombing of infrastructure and important sites in Yemen, and the ongoing violations of the sovereignty of Syria and Iraq… the borders and national sovereignty of all these countries.”