U.S.-led coalition forces in Iraq reportedly shot down two drones heading for Israel on June 15. “The international coalition at Ain al-Asad (military base) shot down two Iranian drones that were en route to Israel,” an unnamed Iraqi official told AFP. A second official said the drones were targeted because they entered the defensive perimeter of the anti-jihadist coalition, where troops are instructed to engage any potential threat.
The involvement of U.S. forces in Iraq in the defense of Israel could cause problems for the government in Baghdad, as Iraq has close relations with Iran but also hosts 2,500 U.S. troops. In a phone call with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian called on Iraq to strengthen oversight of its borders and airspace after an Israeli strike killed senior Iranian military commanders and civilians, Shafaq News reported yesterday. “We did not initiate the war, but we responded decisively,” Pezeshkian said, according to the Prime Minister’s office. “If these aggressions are repeated, more painful and crushing responses will follow.”
Pezeshkian also urged all countries that seek peace, security, and stability to take a clear stance against Israeli military actions, reaffirming what he described as a “shared duty among Islamic nations to respond to ongoing acts of aggression.”
