Iraq condemns Israeli strikes on Lebanon during visit by Aoun

Iraq’s Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani on Sunday condemned Israeli attacks on Lebanon as he hosted Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, on his first visit to Baghdad since taking office.

Israel has continued to strike Lebanon despite a November ceasefire that ended more than a year of conflict – including two months of open war – with militant group Hezbollah, which emerged severely weakened.

Lebanese authorities reported on Sunday the third deadly Israeli raid on the country’s south in four days.

In a joint press conference with Aoun, al-Sudani denounced “repeated Israeli attacks against Lebanon’s sovereignty” which he said were in “violation of international law.”

The Iraqi prime minister called to “fully implement” a UN Security Council resolution that ended a 2006 war between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah and served as the basis for the latest truce, which went into effect on November 27.

Under the truce terms, Hezbollah fighters were to withdraw north of the Litani River, about 30 kilometers (19 miles) from the border, and dismantle their military posts to the south.

Israel, for its part, was to pull all its troops out of Lebanon but has maintained five positions it deems “strategic” along the frontier.

Al-Sudani also said he discussed with the visiting Lebanese president “shared opportunities in various sectors” including energy, telecommunications and commerce.

Dominated by pro-Iranian parties, the Iraqi government has close ties with Lebanon and welcomed thousands of Lebanese people, mostly Shia Muslims, displaced by the 2024 Israel-Hezbollah war.

Tehran-aligned armed factions in Iraq are staunch allies of Lebanon’s Shia militant group Hezbollah.

Since 2021, gas-rich Iraq has provided fuel for power stations in Lebanon, mired in a grave economic crisis.

Last month Beirut said it was expecting a delivery of 320,000 tons of wheat from Iraq.

In Baghdad, Aoun expressed his gratitude for “all the support and donations” Iraq has given Lebanon.

Aoun, who assumed the presidency in January, also met with his Iraqi counterpart Abdel Latif Rashid.