By Abdel-Raouf Arnaout  

JERUSALEM

The U.S. has reportedly urged Israel not to strike any Iranian targets in Iraq, according to Israeli media.  

U.S. officials reportedly told Israelis “please leave Iraq to us”, Israeli Channel 1 reported late Tuesday.  

The claim came amid reports that Iran has deployed ballistic missiles batteries in Iraq that can reach Israel.  

On Monday, Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman hinted that Israel could strike Iranian targets outside Syria.  

“We aren’t limiting ourselves to Syria. That should be clear,” Lieberman said.  

In recent months, Israel has admitted to striking a number of Iranian targets inside war-torn Syria, where Iranian forces are backing Syrian regime forces against opposition groups.