WASHINGTON: The United States did not notify the Iraqi government in advance of recent strikes against pro-Iranian targets in the country, the State Department said on Monday, clarifying White House statements suggesting otherwise.
“There was not a pre-notification, we informed the Iraqis immediately after the strikes occurred,” Vedant Patel, State Department deputy spokesman, told reporters.
The United States launched strikes in Syria and Iraq on Friday targeting elite Iranian forces and pro-Iranian armed groups.
The strikes were in retaliation for a January 28 attack that killed three American soldiers in Jordan, near the Iraqi and Syrian borders. Washington blamed forces linked to Tehran for the attack.
“The Iraqi government, like every country in the region, understood that there would be a response after the deaths of our soldiers,” Patel said further.
Regional tensions are already high in the face of the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, and both Iraq and Syria have condemned the strikes, with Baghdad denouncing a “violation of Iraqi sovereignty” and warning of “catastrophic consequences” for the country and beyond.
White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters Friday night that Washington had “informed the Iraqi government before the attacks,” angering Baghdad.
“I responded with information that I had been provided at the time,” Kirby said on Monday.
“It was not as specific as it could have been, and I regret any confusion caused.
“That said, we had made no secret –- both to Iraqi officials and in public channels -– that we would respond to the attacks on our troops. And, we did, in fact, officially notify Iraq, as appropriate with standard procedure,” he added.
Anger over Israel’s destructive campaign in Gaza – which began after an unprecedented attack by Hamas on October 7 – has grown across the Middle East, fueling violence involving Iran-backed groups in Lebanon, Iraq, Syria and Yemen.
Tensions between the US and Iraqi governments have escalated in recent months after Washington carried out previous strikes in response to a wave of US-led attacks on troops since the start of the war between Hamas and Israel.
US and allied troops in the region have been attacked more than 165 times since mid-October, mostly in Iraq and Syria, but the death in Jordan was the first by enemy fire during that period.
The US-led coalition was formed in 2014 to fight the Islamic State group after it seized parts of Iraq and Syria, with roughly 2,500 troops in Iraq and about 900 in Syria as part of the effort.
Washington and Baghdad began talks on the future of the US-led troop presence late last month after Iraqi Prime Minister Mohamed Shia al-Sudani repeatedly demanded a timetable for their withdrawal.
