The United States has given Israel a "green light" to operate in Iraqi airspace without the restrictions it previously imposed, clearing the way for strikes on Iranian-backed militias there, according to an Arab media report.
The report, published by the Emirati-based outlet Erem News and cited by Maariv and Israel Hayom on Monday, quotes unnamed Western sources. It says the IDF and the Mossad have completed operational preparations for strikes.
Neither Washington nor Jerusalem has confirmed it. "At this stage there is no official confirmation from the United States or Israel," Maariv noted.
According to the report, Israel's aim is to cut the supply route that runs from Iran through Iraq to Lebanon. Iran's Revolutionary Guards use that corridor to move advanced weapons, including precision ballistic missiles and long-range drones, along with money and logistical support for their proxies.
The report comes as American forces end their military presence in Iraq, a withdrawal that has heightened Israeli concern about Iranian-backed militias entrenching themselves there. The Iraqi government has struggled to bring those militias' weapons under state control. Washington retains significant leverage over Baghdad through its control of the mechanism that handles Iraq's oil revenues.
