US informed Iraq ahead of strikes, White House says. Iraqi military spokesman warns attacks could have ‘horrible’ consequences

The White House has said it informed Iraq before it carried out its air strikes inside the country after the Iraqi military accused Washington of violating the country’s sovereignty.

“We did inform the Iraqi government prior to the strikes,” White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters in a press briefing on Friday.

The US airstrikes on Iraqi border areas are a violation of the country's sovereignty and could have horrible consequences for Iraq and the entire region, said Yahya Rasool, a spokesman for the commander-in-chief of the Iraqi Armed Forces.

The airstrikes "are a violation of Iraqi sovereignty and undermine the government's efforts to stabilize the situation inside the country," Rasool was quoted as saying by the Baghdad Today news website. He said the bombardment "could drag Iraq and the entire region into a situation with unforeseen and terrible consequences and pose a real threat to security and stability in Iraq and the entire region.".