Israel exerted pressure on a number of Asian and European countries to obstruct the completion of an arms deal for Iraq, sources in Baghdad told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed. The deal would have seen Iraq purchase surface-to-air missile systems, early sensor systems, and various military equipment, three Iraqi sources told The New Arab’s Arabic-language service. Earlier this year, the Iraqi defence ministry submitted a recommendation to the government calling on it to develop the country’s monitoring and response capabilities amid rising tensions in the region over the Gaza war and its regional spillove…