Baghdad summons Lebanese ambassador over president’s comments on Iraqi military unit

Iraq summoned the Lebanese ambassador in Baghdad on Wednesday to express discontent over comments made by Lebanese President Joseph Aoun regarding the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF).

In an earlier interview with the London-based Arabic news outlet Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, Aoun said Lebanon would not replicate Iraq's experience with the PMF to integrate Hezbollah into the Lebanese army or establish it as an independent unit within the force.

In response, the Iraqi Foreign Ministry summoned Ambassador Ali Habhab to voice its discontent with Aoun's comments.

The PMF is "an essential component of Iraq's official security and military apparatus," Iraqi Deputy Foreign Minister for Bilateral Relations Mohammed Bahr al-Uloom said.

He called the PMF a legal and governmental institution under the authority of the Iraqi state.

Bar al-Uloom criticized the Lebanese president's comments as "misguided," saying that it would have been better not to involve Iraq in Lebanon's internal crisis or cite an Iraqi state institution as a precedent in such a context.

The ministry said the comments sparked broad discomfort among Iraqis, particularly given Baghdad's consistent support for Lebanon in its crises.

The deputy minister expressed hope that Aoun would revise his statement to help "preserve and strengthen fraternal relations" between the two countries and respect each nation's sovereignty.

The Lebanese envoy, for his part, affirmed the "deep brotherly ties" between Lebanon and Iraq and pledged to convey Baghdad's position to President Aoun, the ministry said.

Lebanon would work to correct the matter and maintain strong bilateral relations, the diplomat said, adding that Beirut values Iraq's role in contributing to his country's reconstruction alongside other Arab states.

There was no immediate comment from the Lebanese authorities on the Iraqi statement.

The PMF was officially incorporated into Iraq's armed forces in July 2016 by a government decree, which designated it as an independent military formation under the command of the commander-in-chief of the armed forces.

The force originated on June 14, 2014, when thousands of volunteers joined Iraqi security forces to combat the terror group Daesh (ISIS) after the militants captured key cities in the provinces of Diyala, Kirkuk, Nineveh, Salah al-Din, Anbar, and parts of Babil.