Baghdad (AFP)

The Iraqi government is preparing to file a complaint to the UN after an investigation found Israel to be responsible for "some" recent attacks on the bases of a powerful paramilitary force, said a deputy this force.

Hashd al-Shaabi - an alliance of pro-Iran armed groups that also has a bloc in the Iraqi parliament, "Fatah" - has accused the United States and Israel of recent explosions and bombings. drones on its bases, but Baghdad had so far not issued direct charges.

"Government investigations have concluded that the perpetrator of some of these attacks is absolutely, certainly Israel," Ahmad al-Assadi, Hashd leader and spokesman for "Fatah" told reporters on Thursday, refusing to give more details. on the evidence that led to such a conclusion.

"The government is preparing sufficient evidence and documents to make a complaint to the (UN) Security Council and will not submit a complaint against an unknown entity," he added.

Hashd al-Shaabi was formed in 2014 from armed Shiite groups to fight ISIS jihadists. He is, however, opposed to the presence of US forces deployed in Iraq as part of the US-led international anti-jihad coalition.

Hashd forces officially operate in the Iraqi army, but the United States and Israel fear that some of its units may be an extension of their common enemy, Iran.

Since mid-July, five Hachd weapons depots and training camps have been targeted by alleged attacks and the group claims to have fired surveillance drones over two other bases.

A senior Hachd official has accused the United States of being behind the explosions in general. The Pentagon has denied any involvement.

On August 25, the Hashd specifically accused Israel of being responsible for a drone attack that killed one of its fighters in the west near the Syrian border. The Hebrew State did not comment.

Assadi, however, tempered the accusations against the United States, saying their involvement remained unclear.

"The Israeli planes (they were) supported by the United States We can not (the) accuse them.The Americans have given the green light? We can not (the) accuse them," he added .

But, he said, the Hashd and the government were expecting a targeted attack on the pro-Iranian paramilitary force due to increasing tensions between Washington and Tehran since the United States withdrew unilaterally in May 2018 of the Iranian nuclear agreement of 2015.

The United States then reinstated harsh economic sanctions against Iran but also against Iraqi, Lebanese and Palestinian companies and personalities with alleged links to the Islamic Republic.

- "Ready to answer" -

The other fear of Israel and the United States is Iran's transfer of missiles to Iraq and Lebanon.

According to Assadi, Iran was not the supplier of long-range missiles stored on one of the attacked sites.

He also evaded an AFP question about Hashd's role in arms transfer in neighboring Syria, where Iran supports Bashar al-Assad's regime.

Assadi, on the other hand, gave details of the explosion at the Saqr base on 13 August near Baghdad. According to him, the investigation concluded the involvement of three drones, one to "monitor", the second to "attack" and the third to "take pictures after the strike".

Assadi earlier this week attended a meeting with the Iraqi President, the Prime Minister and the Speaker of Parliament.

"We said that the resistance factions were ready to answer (to Israel) now if the government wanted it ... in any region," he said, adding that the Hashd comply with the government's desire to prioritize diplomacy.

© 2019 AFP