A series of alleged Israeli strikes on Iran-linked targets in Syria, Lebanon and Iraq have sent shockwaves across the region and beyond. The attacks on Iraq in particular are unprecedented, with long-term effects yet to be revealed. The immediate effect, however, is that both the general public and the elites of Middle East nations have raised the need to protect their skies more effectively. Currently, air defense systems are hindered by more than a lack of innovative equipment. They are also hindered by their overdependence on external powers, especially the United States. Shortly after the strikes, it didn’t take long for Russia to move closer to Iraq in terms of military-technical cooperation.
Iraqi media reported Aug. 27 that, in a meeting between Iraqi parliamentary speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi and Russian Ambassador to Iraq Maxim Maximov, the Russian diplomat said Moscow was ready to support Iraq’s initiative in the UN Security Council to expand the capability of Iraqi air defense structures.
The Russian proposal was even more appealing since the United States essentially expressed support for the attacks. After one of the Israeli assaults in Syria, US State Secretary Mike Pompeo discussed the strikes with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, expressing his “full support for these actions.” It is widely presumed in Iraq that the bombings of Iraq and Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) positions were only possible due to American approval. While the government in Baghdad avoided far-fetched statements, it sought recourse in the UN Security Council, courting Russian support for a measure to condemn the strikes. Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi had already signed an Iraqi decree restricting access to Iraq's airspace “for all Iraqi and foreign parties.”
The attacks yet again prompted calls in Iraq for the quick withdrawal of the US military. The State of Law parliamentary coalition said that the Americans had arranged the opening of Iraqi airspace to facilitate the Israeli attacks. They said that Iraq should “steer toward Russia and China in order to provide the international protection [for Iraq].”
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