Fmr. Iraqi Minister Baqir Jabr Al-Zubeidi: If Anyone Flies Israeli Flag in Iraq, We Will Chop Off His Hand, Head

Former Iraqi Minister Baqir Jabr Al-Zubeidi said that there were offices of a de facto Israeli embassy, under the guise of an interests section, in Iraqi Kurdistan, and that "Israel is spying on the region – spying on Turkey, on Iran, and on Iraq." He further said: "Let's see anyone fly the Israeli Zionist flag in Baghdad. We will chop off his hand. If he flies it in Basra, we will chop off his head as well as his hand." Al-Zubeidi was speaking on the Iraqi Hona Baghdad TV channel on April 7.

Interviewer: "You talked about an Israeli presence in the Kurdistan region..."

Baqir Jabr Al-Zubeidi: "I saw it, and you saw it. The Zionist flags used to fly in Erbil."

Interviewer: "What about things that were not out in the open?"

Baqir Jabr Al-Zubeidi: "They had three offices in Erbil, and a secret one in Suleimania. These were offices of a de facto Israeli embassy, under the guise of an interests section."

Interviewer: "What were these offices doing?"

Baqir Jabr Al-Zubeidi: "Israel is spying on the region – spying on Turkey, on Iran, and on Iraq. Iraq today is no laughing matter. Iraq has a share of the oil in the world."

Interviewer: "Did the Kurdistan government know about this?"

Baqir Jabr Al-Zubeidi: "Yes. Let's see anyone fly the Israeli Zionist flag in Baghdad. We will chop off his hand. If he flies it in Basra, we will chop off his head as well as his hand. We will not allow Israel to fly its flag in our country, after it plundered Palestine and Jerusalem."