The Iraqi Defense Minister says US Secretary of War Hegseth informed him that military operations in the region were imminent, with Hegseth telling Iraq to keep pro-Iran armed factions in Iraq from intervening.
The Iraqi Defense Minister claimed Hegseth ended his call saying that “this is your final notice… and you know very well how the current administration will respond.”
— Faytuks Network (@FaytuksNetwork) November 3, 2025
Source is the reputable Al Mada newspaper in Baghdad, Iraq:
https://almadapaper.net/418429/
The Saudi paper Asharq Al-Awsat corroborates in a briefer article:
العربي/5204671-مندوب-سوريا-في-الأمم-المتحدة-نطلب-دعماً-دولياً-لتسريع-التخلص-من
The Saudi source uses different language about the timing of the operation, which translates to “in the coming days” instead of “imminent.” However, its vagueness seems to be mainly in the English translation. I located the Arabic phrase, and AI claims that it means specifically “within days”, a couple of weeks at most, not months.
AC