Iraq records airspace breaches but stays neutral, security official says

BAGHDAD — Iraq is monitoring and documenting violations of its airspace and referring them to the Foreign Ministry, which handles any response, Lt. Gen. Saad Maan, head of the Security Media Cell, said Wednesday.

His remarks followed a report by the U.S. news site Axios that dozens of Israeli fighter jets flew through Syrian and Iraqi airspace to the Iranian border on Monday before turning back, in what Israeli and U.S. officials described as a “power projection” exercise aimed at deterring Iran.

“These violations occur and are recorded by us, and they are sent to the Foreign Ministry, where Iraq reserves its rights,” Maan said in an interview with Al-Awla TV.

Surveillance centers track the air traffic, he said, but “every violation has its own way of being addressed.”

Iraq’s priority is domestic stability and protecting its citizens rather than being drawn into regional confrontations, Maan said. “Iraq is in a state of neutrality, and we do not want to enter into a problem whose price Iraq does not want to pay. Our stability and the interests of Iraqi citizens come first.”

Iraq is still developing its air defenses and the coming period would bring changes, he said, adding that the country’s military doctrine remained defensive rather than offensive.

Baghdad’s control of its skies has been in question since the U.S.-led coalition’s mission ended on Sept. 30. Authorities said this month they were investigating unidentified aircraft over western and southern Iraq, and senior Kurdistan Democratic Party official Hoshyar Zebari said Iraqi forces track about 200 military flights a day but cannot stop them.

Maan also denied that members of Yemen’s Houthi movement, which calls itself Ansar Allah, were operating in Iraq. “As for what is being circulated about the presence of Ansar Allah (Houthi) members in Iraq, this is absolutely not the case,” he said.

The government on Wednesday denied that the Houthis maintain offices in the country, saying Iraqi territory would not be used by foreign armed groups to threaten neighboring states. Iraqi media have identified Abu Idris Ahmed al-Sharafi as the group’s representative in Iraq, and a Houthi-linked office has been reported in Baghdad’s Jadriya district. The office’s formal status remains unclear, and Iraqi authorities have not publicly confirmed that it operates as a recognized mission.

In December 2025, Iraq published the Houthis and Lebanon’s Hezbollah on a terrorism financing list in the official gazette, then called their inclusion “a mistake” and said the names would be removed.

Maan also dismissed social media claims that Ukrainian cells were operating in Iraq, saying security authorities relied on physical evidence and criminal investigations rather than unverified reports. “We do not engage with scenarios or analyses circulating on social media that amount to media disinformation. As a security official, I speak based on forensic evidence and crime scene findings. Physical evidence or clear proof must be presented before we can discuss such claims,” he said.

Ukraine’s embassy in Iraq on Wednesday denied Iranian allegations that Kyiv had deployed thousands of drones and specialized units to the Kurdistan Region, calling the claims deliberate disinformation. The allegations appeared in an Oct. 20 report by Iran’s Tasnim News Agency, which cited an unidentified security source.