Iraq Treads A Tightrope To Avoid Spillover From Israel-Iran Conflict

An Iraqi holds a picture of Major General Hossein Salami, head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Tehran, with another holding a cutout of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with a shoe around the neck during a protest in Baghdad. (Credit: AFP)

In Iraqi airspace, Iranian missiles and drones have crossed paths with Israeli warplanes, forcing Baghdad to step up efforts to avoid being drawn into the region's latest conflict.

But with Baghdad both an ally of Iran and a strategic partner of the United States, Israel's closest supporter, it may struggle to avoid the fighting spreading to its territory.