Iraq urges US to prevent Israeli Airspace violations
According to a statement by the Iraqi Foreign Ministry, during a meeting with Steven H. Fagin, the chargé d'affaires at the US Embassy in Baghdad, the Deputy Foreign Minister for Bilateral Relations, Mohammed Hussein Bahr Al-Uloom, expressed Baghdad's deep concern over what he described as repeated Israeli incursions into Iraqi skies.
'A recent breach of sovereignty was recorded on Friday, when Israeli warplanes reportedly flew over the holy cities of Najaf and Karbala, continuing southward.'
Bahr Al-Uloom stressed that the infringement 'not only undermines Iraq's sovereignty but also poses a direct threat to civil aviation safety,' particularly over Basra International Airport, which is currently the primary air gateway for returning stranded Iraqi citizens and outbound travelers.
'This is a matter of national security and the safety of civilian air traffic,' he emphasized.
He also urged the US to 'take all necessary measures to halt these violations and enhance Iraq's capacity to deter threats to its sovereignty, territory, and airspace,' citing the 2008 US-Iraq Strategic Framework Agreement as the foundation for cooperation on such matters.
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