Report: U.S. will not intervene if IDF attacks Shi'ite militias in Iraq

Iraq's Prime Minister expressed his fear about the possible move and told Secretary Mike Pompeo that if this were to happen, it will have dire and dangerous consequences for the region.

By ILANIT CHERNICK
Updated: JANUARY 18, 2019 01:12
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo talks with Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi in Baghdad, during a Middle East tour, Iraq, January 9, 2019 (photo credit: ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/REUTERS)
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo talks with Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi in Baghdad, during a Middle East tour, Iraq, January 9, 2019
(photo credit: ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/REUTERS)
The United States reportedly said it would not intervene if Israel were to bomb Shi'ite militias in Iraq.
A source in the Iraqi government told the Arabic RT network, a Russian television network, on Thursday that US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had informed Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi that Washington would not intervene if Israel bombed bases belonging to Shi'ite militias in Iraq.
Following the remarks, RT quoted the source as saying that Abdul-Mahdi expressed his fear about the possible move and told Pompeo that if this were to happen, it will have dire and dangerous consequences for the region.
Reuters reported last year that Iran had delivered ballistic missiles to Iraq, handing over some to Shi'ite militias and was trying to develop a missile manufacturing infrastructure in the country.
It's believed Israel knows about the transference of the missiles from Iran to Iraq and has been monitoring the situation closely over the last few weeks, the source said.
Iran's Foreign Ministry denied the report, saying that "this claim is false, incorrect and ridiculous."
Pompeo responded to the issue on his Twitter account saying that he is "very concerned about the report that Iran has delivered ballistic missiles to Iraqi soil.
"If this is true, it is a blatant violation of Iraqi sovereignty and of the UN Security Council resolution, and Baghdad must decide what is happening in its territory - not Tehran," he said.