Baghdad and other Iraqi cities witnessed wide protests on Friday from Moqtada Sadr’s supporters against Israel’s war against Iran, according to Arab News.
Iraqi Protests
Iraqi demonstrators gathered in the Sadr City district of Baghdad after Friday prayers and chanted “No to Israel! No to America!”
“It is an unjust war… Israel has no right” to hit Iran, said protester Abu Hussein.
Meanwhile, approximately 2,000 people rallied in Iraq’s southern city of Basra after the prayers.
Cleric Qusai Assadi, 43, condemned Israel’s use of Iraqi airspace to bomb Iran. “It is a violation of Iraq’s sovereignty,” he said, warning against “a third world war against Islam.”
Call for Not Targeting US Troops
Baghdad asked Iran earlier this week to avoid targeting US interests in Iraq amid mounting tensions between Israel and Tehran, according to Al-Arabiya.
Despite the fact that Baghdad is a close ally of Tehran, Iraq is also a strategic partner of the US and even has approximately 2,500 US troops on its soil as part of an anti-extremist coalition.
Israel-Iran Conflict
On June 13, Israel launched a wave of airstrikes on Iran under the name of Operation Rising Lion.
The military campaign targeted Iran’s nuclear facilities and killed top military commanders and nuclear scientists.
As a response, Iran launched a retaliatory wave of missiles against Israel and targeted Tel Aviv.
US Denies Involvement
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the United States was not involved in Israel’s unilateral strikes on Iran, according to The New York Times.
“We are not involved in strikes against Iran and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region. Israel advised us that they believe this action was necessary for its self-defense,” Rubio said.
He also warned Iran not to respond to Israeli strikes by targeting American bases in the region.
Importantly, the US military maintains a large fleet of warplanes, naval vessels as well as thousands of troops stationed at its bases in the region, including in Qatar and Bahrain.
“Let me be clear: Iran should not target US interests or personnel,” Rubio added.
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