Region | Iraq
No knowledge of any Israeli air drills, says Iraq
Iraq's Defence Ministry on Friday it had no knowledge of any Israeli air force drills in its airspace.
- Agencies
- Published: 19:12 July 11, 2008
Baghdad: Iraq's Defence Ministry 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 US 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.
Security for Anbar is still formally in the hands of the US military, although control is expected to be transferred to Iraqi security forces soon. Iraq has security control over nine of its 18 provinces.
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