2 sept 2019
Damage caused to a Hezbollah media center in Beirut , left, purportedly by an Israeli drone, right
Unnamed official says Israel's focus is now on preventing Iranian precision missiles reaching Lebanon and Syria, casts doubt on American willingness to 'buy what Rouhani selling'
A senior Israeli security source says that the defense establishment system has shifted its strategic focus to averting the threat of precise missiles that Iran is trying to introduce into Syria and Lebanon.
"In recent days, we have attacked on several fronts. We also carried out simultaneous attacks in Syria and other arenas," the senior official said on Monday.
"There was also a certain development in Lebanon, which according to foreign publications was attributed to Israel. There was a need to take action in several arenas within a 24-hour window, and we planned accordingly."
According to the same source, Israel acted "as precisely in as many arenas as we planned, including in that possible enemy reactions. We are prepared for war but do not need it, as the event we carried out in Lebanon proved."
The source also touched on the apparently imminent rapprochement between the U.S. and Iran and the plans to hold talks on the issue of Iranian nuclear ambitions.
"We have an ongoing relationship with the Americans, and I think they have no illusions about (Iranian President Hassan) Rouhani," the source said.
"I don't see them buying what he is selling, nor (Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad) Zarif. Will they talk? Perhaps. I believe the talks will take place in a different way from the previous talks, which is what I am hearing from everyone at all levels."
Strategic change
Israel has redefined its priorities regarding the threats it currently faces. The Iranian nuclear threat is still one of the top priorities of the defense establishment, and in third place is the Iranian attempt to entrench itself in the region, in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen.
The senior security source said in a conversation with military reporters that "in light of developments and situation assessments, it was decided three months ago that the precision missile project would be given high priority because of the immediate danger it poses. The military echelons were informed of this decision."
He added: "We cannot afford to be surrounded by thousands of precision missiles that could land and harm the State of Israel."
The senior official noted that in the past six months, the issue has been discussed by the cabinet with the upper echelons of the defense establishment, and the ensuing guidelines were passed on to various officials and the IDF.
"Our three targets have one address - Iran," the source said.
"The address for two of the three threats is the same - the commander of the Quds Force of the Revolutionary Guard, Qasem Suleimani," the source said, but declined to answer a question on how Israel would deal with Suleimani.
In recent months, the defense establishment has been making efforts in the diplomatic and defense spheres to prevent the threats coming from Tehran.
"We operate in all spheres – on the diplomatic, security, counterterrorism and intelligence levels," the official said.
"What you see in practice is just the tip of the iceberg. There are ma y activities, most of which are connected to the IDF and the Mossad (external security service), for dealing with these issues.
"We work with a combination of determination and responsibility from a complete strategic perspective. It is the political level that determines which threats the State of Israel faces, and the military accepts missions according to priority."
Nasrallah asked for a ceasefire
The security source also touched on the IDF strikes in southern Lebanon on Sunday after Hezbollah fired anti-tank missiles across the border, saying that three countries - France, Egypt and the United States – asking Israel to bring an end the incident.
Hezbollah leader Hassan "Nasrallah via (Lebanese PM Saad) Hariri appealed to other countries that then asked Israel to end the incident. This has to be said because the man in the shelter is continuing to give speeches, and he obviously just wanted to come out of this with some respect.
"From my perspective, it does not bother me as long as Israel advances its objectives. Even Hariri understands that his country is under threat if Nasrallah continues to operate from Lebanese territory. We are exploring our options and will make decisions based on developments. We are dealing with all arenas and achieving our goals."
The official noted that the Russians had not intervened in recent events in Lebanon, and received updates throughout the incident.
"I had a conversation with French President (Emmanuel) Macron, and told him that inviting Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif to the (G7) conference in France on the day Iran conducts simultaneous attacks against us – and where he was embraced - highlights the absurdity of the European attitude toward Iran," the source said.
Regarding the relationship and coordination between Israel and the U.S. after an attack in Iraq attributed by foreign outlets to Israel, the source said: Israel is in constant contact with Americans, almost on a daily basis."
There are talks with Secretary of State (Mike) Pompeo on the diplomatic and security levels all the time. We are coordinating with them both on the diplomatic and military levels."
Unnamed official says Israel's focus is now on preventing Iranian precision missiles reaching Lebanon and Syria, casts doubt on American willingness to 'buy what Rouhani selling'
A senior Israeli security source says that the defense establishment system has shifted its strategic focus to averting the threat of precise missiles that Iran is trying to introduce into Syria and Lebanon.
"In recent days, we have attacked on several fronts. We also carried out simultaneous attacks in Syria and other arenas," the senior official said on Monday.
"There was also a certain development in Lebanon, which according to foreign publications was attributed to Israel. There was a need to take action in several arenas within a 24-hour window, and we planned accordingly."
According to the same source, Israel acted "as precisely in as many arenas as we planned, including in that possible enemy reactions. We are prepared for war but do not need it, as the event we carried out in Lebanon proved."
The source also touched on the apparently imminent rapprochement between the U.S. and Iran and the plans to hold talks on the issue of Iranian nuclear ambitions.
"We have an ongoing relationship with the Americans, and I think they have no illusions about (Iranian President Hassan) Rouhani," the source said.
"I don't see them buying what he is selling, nor (Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad) Zarif. Will they talk? Perhaps. I believe the talks will take place in a different way from the previous talks, which is what I am hearing from everyone at all levels."
Strategic change
Israel has redefined its priorities regarding the threats it currently faces. The Iranian nuclear threat is still one of the top priorities of the defense establishment, and in third place is the Iranian attempt to entrench itself in the region, in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen.
The senior security source said in a conversation with military reporters that "in light of developments and situation assessments, it was decided three months ago that the precision missile project would be given high priority because of the immediate danger it poses. The military echelons were informed of this decision."
He added: "We cannot afford to be surrounded by thousands of precision missiles that could land and harm the State of Israel."
The senior official noted that in the past six months, the issue has been discussed by the cabinet with the upper echelons of the defense establishment, and the ensuing guidelines were passed on to various officials and the IDF.
"Our three targets have one address - Iran," the source said.
"The address for two of the three threats is the same - the commander of the Quds Force of the Revolutionary Guard, Qasem Suleimani," the source said, but declined to answer a question on how Israel would deal with Suleimani.
In recent months, the defense establishment has been making efforts in the diplomatic and defense spheres to prevent the threats coming from Tehran.
"We operate in all spheres – on the diplomatic, security, counterterrorism and intelligence levels," the official said.
"What you see in practice is just the tip of the iceberg. There are ma y activities, most of which are connected to the IDF and the Mossad (external security service), for dealing with these issues.
"We work with a combination of determination and responsibility from a complete strategic perspective. It is the political level that determines which threats the State of Israel faces, and the military accepts missions according to priority."
Nasrallah asked for a ceasefire
The security source also touched on the IDF strikes in southern Lebanon on Sunday after Hezbollah fired anti-tank missiles across the border, saying that three countries - France, Egypt and the United States – asking Israel to bring an end the incident.
Hezbollah leader Hassan "Nasrallah via (Lebanese PM Saad) Hariri appealed to other countries that then asked Israel to end the incident. This has to be said because the man in the shelter is continuing to give speeches, and he obviously just wanted to come out of this with some respect.
"From my perspective, it does not bother me as long as Israel advances its objectives. Even Hariri understands that his country is under threat if Nasrallah continues to operate from Lebanese territory. We are exploring our options and will make decisions based on developments. We are dealing with all arenas and achieving our goals."
The official noted that the Russians had not intervened in recent events in Lebanon, and received updates throughout the incident.
"I had a conversation with French President (Emmanuel) Macron, and told him that inviting Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif to the (G7) conference in France on the day Iran conducts simultaneous attacks against us – and where he was embraced - highlights the absurdity of the European attitude toward Iran," the source said.
Regarding the relationship and coordination between Israel and the U.S. after an attack in Iraq attributed by foreign outlets to Israel, the source said: Israel is in constant contact with Americans, almost on a daily basis."
There are talks with Secretary of State (Mike) Pompeo on the diplomatic and security levels all the time. We are coordinating with them both on the diplomatic and military levels."
29 aug 2019
Bahraini Foreign Minister Khalid bin Ahmed
Iraq has lashed out at Bahrain for backing recent Israeli attacks on Arab countries, defending sacrifices made by a pro-government military force to counter terrorists.
In a statement released on Thursday, the Iraqi Foreign Ministry said it “rejects and condemns” Bahraini Foreign Minister Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifah’s Tweet about the Zionist enemy’s targeting of Arab territories and Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) or Hashd al-Sha’abi, an effective force in the Baghdad government’s anti-Daesh fight.
It also stressed that the PMU has stood by Iraqi armed forces “to defend our holy land and made great sacrifices to liberate the cities of Iraq, and to defeat Daesh terrorist gangs.”
The Israeli regime is widely known to be behind a wave of air raids on positions of Iraq’s Hashd al-Sha’abi in recent weeks. Reports say those air raids had the support of the Saudi regime and were launched from the areas controlled by US-backed Kurdish militants in the northern parts of neighboring Syria.
In the latest such attack on the weekend, Israeli drones struck a PMU convoy near the Iraqi town of al-Qa’im close to the Syrian border, killing a commander and severely wounding a fighter.
This came a day after Israel carried out strikes near the Syrian capital, Damascus, claiming that the air raids were “able to thwart an Iranian attempt ... to conduct an attack on Israeli targets ... using killer drones.”
Syria, however, said that its air defenses had managed to detect hostile targets approaching from the occupied Golan Heights towards Damascus and destroyed most of the Israeli rockets before they could reach their destinations.
Just hours later in early Sunday, two explosives-laden Israeli drones violated Lebanese airspace on a bombing mission and crashed in the stronghold the Hezbollah resistance movement in the south of the Lebanese capital, Beirut. One of the drones blew up near the ground, causing some damage to Hezbollah’s media office.
The top Bahraini diplomat took to Twitter on Monday to express his support for the Israeli attacks, labeling them an act of “self-defense.”
“Iran is the one who has declared a war on us, with its [Islamic] Revolution Guards Corps, its Lebanese party, its Popular Mobilization Forces in Iraq, its Houthi arm in Yemen and others,” Khalifah claimed. “So one who strikes and destroys the piles of their ammunition is not to blame. That is self-defense.”
The controversial comments were the latest public show of support for Tel Aviv from Manama, which has been trying to normalize ties with the oppressive regime, in what has been viewed by Palestine and its supporters as a betrayal of the Palestinian cause against Israel’s occupation.
Back in June, Khalifah took the lid off Bahrain’s longtime secret dealings with Israel by openly saying that Manama wants “peace” and “better” relations with the occupying entity.
Iran has been providing military advisory assistance to Syria, strengthening the hand of its national army on the battlefield against the terrorists, who have the support of the US, Israel and their allies, including Persian Gulf Arab regimes.
The Syrian military has also the support of Russia and Lebanon’s Hezbollah resistance movement in its counter-terrorism operations.
Tehran offered similar assistance to Iraq and set the stage for the neighboring nation to win its three-year-long campaign against Daesh, the world’s most notorious terror outfit, in late 2017.
Bahrain — a vassal state of Saudi Arabia — is party to a Riyadh-led coalition waging a bloody military campaign against Yemen with the aim of reinstalling a Saudi-friendly puppet regime.
Manama and its allies claim Iran provides arms to the Houthi Ansarullah movement, which both runs Yemen and defends its nation, a claim Tehran has repeatedly rejected.
Iraq has lashed out at Bahrain for backing recent Israeli attacks on Arab countries, defending sacrifices made by a pro-government military force to counter terrorists.
In a statement released on Thursday, the Iraqi Foreign Ministry said it “rejects and condemns” Bahraini Foreign Minister Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifah’s Tweet about the Zionist enemy’s targeting of Arab territories and Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) or Hashd al-Sha’abi, an effective force in the Baghdad government’s anti-Daesh fight.
It also stressed that the PMU has stood by Iraqi armed forces “to defend our holy land and made great sacrifices to liberate the cities of Iraq, and to defeat Daesh terrorist gangs.”
The Israeli regime is widely known to be behind a wave of air raids on positions of Iraq’s Hashd al-Sha’abi in recent weeks. Reports say those air raids had the support of the Saudi regime and were launched from the areas controlled by US-backed Kurdish militants in the northern parts of neighboring Syria.
In the latest such attack on the weekend, Israeli drones struck a PMU convoy near the Iraqi town of al-Qa’im close to the Syrian border, killing a commander and severely wounding a fighter.
This came a day after Israel carried out strikes near the Syrian capital, Damascus, claiming that the air raids were “able to thwart an Iranian attempt ... to conduct an attack on Israeli targets ... using killer drones.”
Syria, however, said that its air defenses had managed to detect hostile targets approaching from the occupied Golan Heights towards Damascus and destroyed most of the Israeli rockets before they could reach their destinations.
Just hours later in early Sunday, two explosives-laden Israeli drones violated Lebanese airspace on a bombing mission and crashed in the stronghold the Hezbollah resistance movement in the south of the Lebanese capital, Beirut. One of the drones blew up near the ground, causing some damage to Hezbollah’s media office.
The top Bahraini diplomat took to Twitter on Monday to express his support for the Israeli attacks, labeling them an act of “self-defense.”
“Iran is the one who has declared a war on us, with its [Islamic] Revolution Guards Corps, its Lebanese party, its Popular Mobilization Forces in Iraq, its Houthi arm in Yemen and others,” Khalifah claimed. “So one who strikes and destroys the piles of their ammunition is not to blame. That is self-defense.”
The controversial comments were the latest public show of support for Tel Aviv from Manama, which has been trying to normalize ties with the oppressive regime, in what has been viewed by Palestine and its supporters as a betrayal of the Palestinian cause against Israel’s occupation.
Back in June, Khalifah took the lid off Bahrain’s longtime secret dealings with Israel by openly saying that Manama wants “peace” and “better” relations with the occupying entity.
Iran has been providing military advisory assistance to Syria, strengthening the hand of its national army on the battlefield against the terrorists, who have the support of the US, Israel and their allies, including Persian Gulf Arab regimes.
The Syrian military has also the support of Russia and Lebanon’s Hezbollah resistance movement in its counter-terrorism operations.
Tehran offered similar assistance to Iraq and set the stage for the neighboring nation to win its three-year-long campaign against Daesh, the world’s most notorious terror outfit, in late 2017.
Bahrain — a vassal state of Saudi Arabia — is party to a Riyadh-led coalition waging a bloody military campaign against Yemen with the aim of reinstalling a Saudi-friendly puppet regime.
Manama and its allies claim Iran provides arms to the Houthi Ansarullah movement, which both runs Yemen and defends its nation, a claim Tehran has repeatedly rejected.
28 aug 2019
This file picture shows fighters from the Iraqi pro-government Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), better known by the Arabic word of Hashd al-Sha’abi, in an undisclosed location in Iraq.
An Iraqi lawmaker has called on the Baghdad government to forge an alliance with countries that have protracted disputes with the United States in order to strike Israel in the wake of recent airstrikes in the country against the positions of pro-government Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), better known as Hashd al-Sha’abi.
“The persistence of the Israeli regime and its targeting of military sites within our territory have not occurred unexpectedly, but rather under the auspices of the United States. They (Americans) opened the Iraqi airspace for them, and orchestrated all of this scenario.
They are partners to the targeting of our territory,” the Arabic service of Russia’s Sputnik news agency quoted Mansour al-Baiji, a member of the State of Law political coalition, as saying in a statement released on Wednesday.
He then called on Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi, President Barham Salih and Parliament Speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi to refrain from "condemnation and denunciation," and instead “strike up alliances with the great powers that have disputes with (the United States of) America and bolster relations with Russia and China in a bid to ensure international protection” for Iraq.
On Tuesday, Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi said his country’s armed forces were fully prepared to respond firmly to any act of aggression launched either from outside or inside Iraq.
“The prime minister pointed to the high readiness of our armed forces to defend Iraq, its citizens and state institutions in addition to diplomatic missions operating in Iraq. He also stressed the Iraqi forces’ readiness to respond firmly and by all means available to any aggression launched either from outside or inside Iraq,” Abdul-Mahdi’s media office said in a statement released following a cabinet session in the capital Baghdad.
The statement added, “Abdul-Mahdi also touched on the ongoing diplomatic contacts with all neighboring countries besides Arab and regional states as well as the international community in order to explain the position of Iraq and mobilize regional and international support for solidarity with it and its just position and its policy in support of peace and stability.”
The remarks came a day after the spokesman for the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the Baghdad government would take all available diplomatic and legal actions to prevent the violation of Iraq’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Also on Monday, Iraq's military said it has launched an investigation into a purported Israeli strike that killed two Hashd al-Sha’abi fighters near the town of al-Qa’im close to the country's western border with Syria.
An investigation is ongoing now to determine what happened with the strike,” the spokesman for Iraq's Joint Operations Command, Brigadier General Yahya Rasoul, told AFP.
Sayf al-Badr, the spokesman for the Iraqi Health Ministry, said in a statement that at least one person was killed and 29 others were wounded in a powerful explosion, which rocked a military base in southern Baghdad on August 12.
An ammunition warehouse reportedly exploded inside a federal police military base, named Falcon, in Owerij area near the southern district of Doura.
Arabic-language al-Ahad TV television network reported on July 19 that a drone had dropped explosives onto a base belonging to the Popular Mobilization Units near the town of Amerli, located about 170 kilometers north of the capital, in the early hours of the day, killing at least one PMU fighter and injuring four others.
Video footage broadcast by Iraqi channels showed a blaze burning at the site and plumes of thick smoke billowing.
Additionally, the Iraqi al-Etejah television network reported that an American B350 reconnaissance plane had flown over the area a few days earlier.
The Israeli regime has a record of attacking the forces fighting Daesh in Syria.
In June 2018, Hashd al-Sha’abi fighters came under attack in Syria’s border town of al-Hari, in the eastern province of Dayr al-Zawr, as they were chasing Daesh terrorists out of the area.
Both the Syrian government and Hashd al-Sha’abi declared back then that the attack near the Iraqi-Syrian border had been deliberate and could only have been carried out by either Israel or the United States.
An Iraqi lawmaker has called on the Baghdad government to forge an alliance with countries that have protracted disputes with the United States in order to strike Israel in the wake of recent airstrikes in the country against the positions of pro-government Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), better known as Hashd al-Sha’abi.
“The persistence of the Israeli regime and its targeting of military sites within our territory have not occurred unexpectedly, but rather under the auspices of the United States. They (Americans) opened the Iraqi airspace for them, and orchestrated all of this scenario.
They are partners to the targeting of our territory,” the Arabic service of Russia’s Sputnik news agency quoted Mansour al-Baiji, a member of the State of Law political coalition, as saying in a statement released on Wednesday.
He then called on Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi, President Barham Salih and Parliament Speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi to refrain from "condemnation and denunciation," and instead “strike up alliances with the great powers that have disputes with (the United States of) America and bolster relations with Russia and China in a bid to ensure international protection” for Iraq.
On Tuesday, Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi said his country’s armed forces were fully prepared to respond firmly to any act of aggression launched either from outside or inside Iraq.
“The prime minister pointed to the high readiness of our armed forces to defend Iraq, its citizens and state institutions in addition to diplomatic missions operating in Iraq. He also stressed the Iraqi forces’ readiness to respond firmly and by all means available to any aggression launched either from outside or inside Iraq,” Abdul-Mahdi’s media office said in a statement released following a cabinet session in the capital Baghdad.
The statement added, “Abdul-Mahdi also touched on the ongoing diplomatic contacts with all neighboring countries besides Arab and regional states as well as the international community in order to explain the position of Iraq and mobilize regional and international support for solidarity with it and its just position and its policy in support of peace and stability.”
The remarks came a day after the spokesman for the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the Baghdad government would take all available diplomatic and legal actions to prevent the violation of Iraq’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Also on Monday, Iraq's military said it has launched an investigation into a purported Israeli strike that killed two Hashd al-Sha’abi fighters near the town of al-Qa’im close to the country's western border with Syria.
An investigation is ongoing now to determine what happened with the strike,” the spokesman for Iraq's Joint Operations Command, Brigadier General Yahya Rasoul, told AFP.
Sayf al-Badr, the spokesman for the Iraqi Health Ministry, said in a statement that at least one person was killed and 29 others were wounded in a powerful explosion, which rocked a military base in southern Baghdad on August 12.
An ammunition warehouse reportedly exploded inside a federal police military base, named Falcon, in Owerij area near the southern district of Doura.
Arabic-language al-Ahad TV television network reported on July 19 that a drone had dropped explosives onto a base belonging to the Popular Mobilization Units near the town of Amerli, located about 170 kilometers north of the capital, in the early hours of the day, killing at least one PMU fighter and injuring four others.
Video footage broadcast by Iraqi channels showed a blaze burning at the site and plumes of thick smoke billowing.
Additionally, the Iraqi al-Etejah television network reported that an American B350 reconnaissance plane had flown over the area a few days earlier.
The Israeli regime has a record of attacking the forces fighting Daesh in Syria.
In June 2018, Hashd al-Sha’abi fighters came under attack in Syria’s border town of al-Hari, in the eastern province of Dayr al-Zawr, as they were chasing Daesh terrorists out of the area.
Both the Syrian government and Hashd al-Sha’abi declared back then that the attack near the Iraqi-Syrian border had been deliberate and could only have been carried out by either Israel or the United States.
Members of the pro-government Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) or Hashd al-Sha’abi carry the coffin of their comrade Kazem Mohsen, known by his nom de guerre Abu Ali al-Dabi, during his funeral procession in Najaf, Iraq, August 26, 2019
A senior Iraqi official says the recent Israeli drone attacks targeting a pro-government military force in the Arab country had the backing of the Saudi regime and were launched from the areas controlled by US-backed Kurdish militants in neighboring Syria.
The official, who has knowledge of the latest intelligence briefing from Baghdad’s security services, told the Middle East Eye news portal on Tuesday that the attacks were conducted from bases belonging to the so-called Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a US-backed anti-Damascus alliance of mainly Kurdish militants.
“The drone attacks were launched from SDF areas with the financing and backing of the Saudis,” said the official, who was speaking on condition of anonymity.
The latest such drone attacks struck Sunday a convoy of Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) or Hashd al-Sha’abi near the Iraqi town of al-Qa’im close to the Syrian border.
It killed Kazem Mohsen, 45th PMU Brigade logistical support chief who was also known by his nom de guerre Abu Ali al-Dabi, and severely wounded another fighter.
The PMU said the United States was providing air support to Israel for the strikes.
Elsewhere in his remarks, the Iraqi source said the plan to target the PMU was hatched during a visit by Saudi Arabia’s Persian Gulf Affairs Minister Thamer al-Sabhan to the SDF-held Syrian area in June.
Sabhan, he added, offered funds to the SDF in return for their base being used as a launchpad for the strikes.
The Iraqi official also stressed that northern Syria was used to launch the attacks as Israeli drones do not have the range needed to hit targets in Iraq from the occupied territories.
“Israeli personnel were operating the drones from SDF-controlled bases,” he said.
He further noted that the Iraqis were initially skeptical of Tel Aviv's role in the attacks because of doubts about the capability of Israeli drones to reach Iraq.
The Israeli attacks began on July 19 when a drone dropped explosives onto a PMU base near the town of Amerli, in Salahuddin Province, killing at least one resistance fighter and injuring four others.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hinted on Thursday at possible Israeli strikes in Iraq.
A senior Iraqi official says the recent Israeli drone attacks targeting a pro-government military force in the Arab country had the backing of the Saudi regime and were launched from the areas controlled by US-backed Kurdish militants in neighboring Syria.
The official, who has knowledge of the latest intelligence briefing from Baghdad’s security services, told the Middle East Eye news portal on Tuesday that the attacks were conducted from bases belonging to the so-called Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a US-backed anti-Damascus alliance of mainly Kurdish militants.
“The drone attacks were launched from SDF areas with the financing and backing of the Saudis,” said the official, who was speaking on condition of anonymity.
The latest such drone attacks struck Sunday a convoy of Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) or Hashd al-Sha’abi near the Iraqi town of al-Qa’im close to the Syrian border.
It killed Kazem Mohsen, 45th PMU Brigade logistical support chief who was also known by his nom de guerre Abu Ali al-Dabi, and severely wounded another fighter.
The PMU said the United States was providing air support to Israel for the strikes.
Elsewhere in his remarks, the Iraqi source said the plan to target the PMU was hatched during a visit by Saudi Arabia’s Persian Gulf Affairs Minister Thamer al-Sabhan to the SDF-held Syrian area in June.
Sabhan, he added, offered funds to the SDF in return for their base being used as a launchpad for the strikes.
The Iraqi official also stressed that northern Syria was used to launch the attacks as Israeli drones do not have the range needed to hit targets in Iraq from the occupied territories.
“Israeli personnel were operating the drones from SDF-controlled bases,” he said.
He further noted that the Iraqis were initially skeptical of Tel Aviv's role in the attacks because of doubts about the capability of Israeli drones to reach Iraq.
The Israeli attacks began on July 19 when a drone dropped explosives onto a PMU base near the town of Amerli, in Salahuddin Province, killing at least one resistance fighter and injuring four others.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hinted on Thursday at possible Israeli strikes in Iraq.