The Iraqi Foreign Ministry said it summoned the US charge d'affaires in Baghdad and told him that "Iraq is not an arena for conflict and disagreement but for construction and development."

The ministry added in a statement that Iraqi Foreign Minister Mohammed al-Hakim urged the US side to commit to implementing the terms of the strategic partnership agreement signed between the two countries in the security and economic aspects.

"The Iraqi government puts all diplomatic and legal options at the forefront of its priorities to prevent any external interference and to safeguard the security and sovereignty of Iraq and its people," the statement quoted the Iraqi minister as saying.

The New York Times, citing US and Middle East intelligence officials, said Israel had launched at least one strike on a weapons depot in Iraq.

The newspaper quoted a senior intelligence official in the Middle East that Israel bombed a base north of Baghdad in July, and two other officials said that Israel launched several strikes in Iraq in recent days.

Four bases used by the Popular Mobilization - which includes pro-Iranian Shi'ite factions hostile to the US presence - came under mysterious explosions last July.

Israeli hint
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hinted on Wednesday that Israel might be involved.

In an interview with Israel's Channel 9 television broadcast on Thursday, Netanyahu was asked whether Israel would strike Iranian targets in Iraq if necessary. By name as one of these areas.

The PMU has blamed the United States and Israel for the explosions at its weapons depots and bases.

The United States has allowed four Israeli drones to enter the area with US forces and carry out missions on Iraqi soil, the agency said in a statement.

The Pentagon denied involvement in the strikes, and the US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State in Iraq also rejected the statement.