Iraqi airspace used by Israel, sources say

BAGHDAD, July 10 (UPI) -- Israeli fighter jets are thought to be using Iraqi airspace and U.S. bases in Iraq to prepare for an attack on Iranian nuclear facilities, Iraqi sources said.

The Iraqi news network Nahrainnet cited anonymous sources in the Iraqi Defense Ministry saying Israeli jets have used Jordanian air space to land at U.S. airbases in Iraq for the past month.

The source said the jets "are probably" part of a training exercise to prepare for an attack against Iran. U.S. cargo planes, unmanned drones and other aerial vehicles have increased their flights during the past few weeks as well, the sources claimed.

Iranian Press TV said Thursday the suspected warplanes are conducting nighttime operations from U.S. airbases in the southern city of Nasiriyah and Haditha in western Anbar province.

Both reports claimed U.S. military officials have imposed strict security measures around the military bases, notably the al-Assad airbase in Haditha.

The Israeli military conducted recent exercises in the Mediterranean Sea in what some observers saw as a warning to Iran.

Iran on Wednesday and Thursday conducted several missile tests in an apparent response to the move.