Iraq denies knowledge of Israeli drills in its airspace
Iraqi and Israeli sources are denying a report that Israel is preparing for a strike on Iran with drills in Iraqi air space.
Iraq's Defence Ministry said on Friday it had no knowledge of any Israeli air force drills in its airspace.
An Israeli security source said a media report, carried on the website of the Jerusalem Post and quoting a local news network, was wrong.
"As the Ministry of Defence, we haven't observed any IAF warplanes practising in Iraqi airspace," said Major-General Mohammad al-Askari, spokesman for the Iraqi Defence Ministry.
Israel Air Force (IAF) war planes were practising in Iraqi airspace and landing on US airbases in the country as a preparation for a potential strike on Iran, sources in the Iraqi Defence Ministry told a local news network, the Jerusalem Post report said.
It said it could not confirm the veracity of the report.
The U.S. military, which controls much of the airspace in Iraq, referred queries to the Iraqi Defence Ministry.
The report referred to an airbase in western Anbar province near the town of Haditha. The airbase is controlled by the U.S. military.
Another Israeli outlet, ynetnews.com, added some detail to the report.
The sources estimated that should the Israeli jets take off from the American bases it would take them no more than five minutes to reach Iran's nuclear reactor in Bushehr.
Israel Today notes that the reported maneuvers in Iraq are not the first indication that Israel is preparing for a showdown with Iran.
Israeli media was unable to verify the Iraqi report, but Israeli officials have admitted in recent weeks to conducting military maneuvers in preparation for a possible strike on Iran, including a major air force exercise over Greece last month.
In response to the Israeli maneuvers, and a parallel US military exercise also believed to in preparation for conflict with Iran, the Islamic Republic this week launched it own massive training exercise. The Iranian maneuvers consisted primarily of testing its long-range ballistic missiles, which Tehran has threatened to unleash against Israel's population centers if a strike is launched against its nuclear facilities.
Security for Anbar is still formally in the hands of the U.S. military, although control is expected to be transferred to Iraqi security forces soon. Iraq has security control over nine of its 18 provinces.
While Iraq has a large army and police force, its airforce is still very small.
With wire reports
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