Iraq risks being drawn into war amid regional fallout over Gaza, UN official warns

The UN deputy special representative for  Iraq has warned that the country is being drawn into a regional war it does not want, as regional tension surges over recent Israeli assassinations in Beirut and Tehran.

Claudio Cordone told The National that "the Iraqi Prime Minister, in particular, is keen not to get dragged into this war while diplomatically and politically supporting the rights of Palestinians".

"War is not a means to solve things, and there is a risk that things are only going to get worse," Cordone added.

Tensions between the US and Iraqi militias, who have been targeting US personnel in Iraq and Syria since October, have once again flared following a secession of attacks earlier this year.

On 5 August a newly formed militia named Al-Thawiroun wounded five US soldiers in a rocket attack on the Ain al-Asad airbase in western Iraq.

Following the strike, the Islamic Resistance Coordination Committee in Iraq, linked to the the Islamic Resistance in Iraq (IRI) that has been conducting the strikes, warned the US against any retaliation.

They've also demanded the Iraqi government expedite the withdrawal of 2,500 US personnel in Iraq conducting training and support operations against the Islamic State group.

In January, attacks by groups under the banner of the IRI were targeted by a wave of US airstrikes after three US personnel were killed in a drone attack on an outpost on the Jordan-Syria border.

The IRI has also announced its launching of drones against Israeli targets as part of a wider response from Iran-backed groups in the region in support of Gaza, where Israel's war has killed over 40,000 Palestinians since October.

Tension between Iran and its allied militias in the region and Israel have skyrocketed following Israeli assassinations of Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut on 30 July and Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on 31 July, with regional diplomats scrambling to avoid a wider war.

Calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, Cordon told The National that "we call on everybody to de-escalate and, equally importantly, to stop this war and work towards a political solution".

Talks for a ceasefire in Gaza and for the release of Israeli captives held by Hamas are scheduled to resume in Cairo this week.