WASHINGTON – The US is not behind the recent attack against ammunition storage facilities in Iraq, the Pentagon said Monday.
In a statement, the government office also emphasized that Iraq "has the right to control their own internal security and protect their democracy," and promised to cooperate with any investigation.
According to the Pentagon's spokesperson, Jonathan Hoffman, "Statements to the contrary are false, misleading and inflammatory.
"We support Iraqi sovereignty and have repeatedly spoken out against any potential actions by external actors inciting violence in Iraq," he added. "The government of Iraq has the right to control their own internal security and protect their democracy. They are investigating the recent attacks accordingly."
He said that as guests of Iraq, US forces operate “at the invitation of the Iraqi government and comply with all laws and directions.”
The New York Times reported Thursday that American officials have confirmed that Israel has been carrying out airstrikes against Iranian targets in Iraq. One senior official also expressed concerns that Israel was pushing the limits and its operations could eventually lead to the US withdrawing its troops from the country.
According to the US officials, Israel was behind several raids that struck military targets in Iraq with connections to Iran, including an attack on July 19 that hit a base used by the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to transfer weapons to Syria.
The Times report added that the July 19 attack was carried out from within Iraq and destroyed a load of guided missiles with a range of 125 miles.
However, in an interview with Channel 9, Israel's Russian-language TV station, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not deny the possibility that Israel has or will operate against Iranian targets in Iraq on an as-needed basis.