More than 250 people have been killed and thousands injured so far since the Iraqi protests erupted on October 1.
By United with Israel Staff
Israel’s Foreign Minister Israel Katz took to Twitter on Monday to express support for anti-government rallies in Iraq, and to call out the Iranian regime for its role in the brutal violence used to subdue rioters.
“We sympathize with the Iraqi people’s protest for freedom and dignity. We condemn their repression and murder led by Qassem Suleimani and Iranian Revolutionary Guards. The Iraqi people have a long and glorious history. Many Israelis from Iraq fondly remember years of living together,” Katz tweeted.
Iraq has been engulfed in deadly anti-government protests for the past few weeks, with demonstrators seeking an end the corruption and poverty endemic to Prime Minister Abdul Mahdi’s rule.
According to the Daily Sabah, despite the government’s continual efforts to disperse the rallies with tear gas and live fire, demonstrators came out in full force this past week in the southern city of Diwaniyah.
More than 250 people have been killed and thousands injured so far since the protests erupted on October 1. Iraq’s semi-official human rights commission has said that 100 people have been killed and over 5,000 injured since Friday.
Two rockets were fired into Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone on Wednesday, killing one Iraqi soldier, reported Reuters.
According to the report, General Qassim Soleimani, the head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, flew into Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone after the attack to hold secret meetings aimed at quelling the riots and keeping Mahdi in power.
Last week, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei accused the U.S. and Israel of spreading “insecurity and turmoil” in Iraq and Lebanon, Al Jazeera reported.
“They are destroying security. This is the worst kind of hostility and the most dangerous and spiteful behavior against a country,” he said.