Three Iraqi sources in Baghdad, including a Defense Ministry official, told Al-Arabi Al-Jadeed today that Israel has taken steps in recent weeks to thwart arms deals with Iraq by putting pressure on several Asian and European countries.
Alexey Zheleznov writes about this on his Telegram channel.
According to the publication, contracts that included the supply of anti-aircraft missile systems, early warning systems and other defensive equipment were at risk. One of the most important agreements was an agreement between the Iraqi government and France.
The newspaper also reports that the Iraqi Defense Ministry recommended that the government pay more attention to developing the national air defense system, as fears grow in Iraq that the country could find itself in a “zone of Israeli aggression.” Amid these concerns, pro-Iran armed groups based in Iraq have been launching drones and missiles toward Israel for months.
According to the publication’s sources, last year Iraq allocated more than $2.4 billion for the purchase of air defense systems and other weapons, while also granting the Ministry of Defense the authority to negotiate with several countries in the defense field. However, it was not possible to close important agreements in this area.
One of the Iraqi sources said that after the introduction of sanctions against Russia, Baghdad turned to six countries in Asia and Europe, trying to organize the supply of weapons.
“Despite the warm welcome and preliminary agreement, the process was delayed and in the end we received formal refusals, citing the impossibility of meeting Iraqi requests at this time,” the source said.
Earlier, Kursor reported that Hezbollah was facing a new problem.
