SULAIMANI (ESTA) — Iraq’s Ministerial Council for National Security denounced U.S. strikes that targeted sites belonging to Iran-backed militia in Iraq and Syria.
The ministerial council for national security held an “emergency meeting” chaired by Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi to discuss the U.S. strikes on the Iraqi border.
The U.S. military said in a statement on Sunday that it targeted operational and weapons storage facilities at two locations in Syria and one location in Iraq, in response to drone attacks by the Iran-backed militia against U.S. personnel and facilities in Iraq.
The Iraqi council for national security condemned “in strongest terms” the U.S. airstrikes that targeted a site on Iraqi border with Syria, a statement by Kadhimi’s office said.
“This attack represents a flagrant violation of Iraqi sovereignty, which is rejected by all international laws and covenants,” the statement read.
The ministerial council for national security “is studying resorting to all available legal options to prevent the recurrence of such attacks that violate Iraq’s airspace and territory,” the statement said.
The council also stressed that it completely rejected the use of Iraq’s lands and skies to attack its neighbor.
It further said Iraq had chosen to take steps to adopt a calm policy and the principle of dialogue as a way to reduce conflict and preserve security and stability in the country and the region.
The strikes came at the direction of U.S. President Joe Biden, the second time he has ordered retaliatory strikes against Iran-backed militia since taking office five months ago.
Biden last ordered limited strikes in Syria in February, that time in response to rocket attacks in Iraq.
The Pentagon said the facilities targeted were used by Iran-backed militia including Kataib Hezbollah and Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada.
One of the facilities targeted was used to launch and recover the drones, a defense official said.
The U.S. military carried out strikes with F-15 and F-16 aircraft, officials said, adding the pilots made it back from the mission safely.
“We assess each strike hit the intended targets,” one of the officials told Reuters.
U.S. officials believe Iran is behind a ramp-up in increasingly sophisticated drone attacks and periodic rocket fire against U.S. personnel and facilities in Iraq, where the U.S. military has been helping Baghdad combat the remnants of Islamic State.
Two U.S. officials, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said Iran-backed militias carried out at least five drone attacks against facilities used by U.S. and coalition personnel in Iraq since April.
