Addressing a group of Iraqi officials in the central city of Hillah, al-Maliki, warned about concerted western and Israeli plots against some Arab nations.

“We may be facing start of a new world war which carries a storm of sectarianism and terrorism,” he warned.

“Tools of this war are not tanks and nuclear weapons, but they are having people killed at the hands of other people… and Israel who is laughing at Arab countries now, is the first one that benefits from this war”.

Maliki warned that those Arab countries experiencing democratic revolutions should be wary of Israel’s taking advantage of the turmoil.

If certain Arab and neighboring countries continue to send weapons for terrorists in the region, Iraq will respond them properly, he added.

Maliki pointed to recent unrest in Iraq and said Iraqi security forces have arrested tens of “barbaric” foreign terrorists “who had no sense of humanity”.

He said what is going on in Iraq is not a war between Iraqis but a war between terrorists and Iraqi people.

Iraq has seen a surge in violence since the beginning of this year. Some 671 people have been killed in the holy month of Ramadan alone which ended on Friday.

More than 4,000 people have died in terrorist attacks in Iraq so far in 2013, with Baghdad province being the worst hit.

The US invaded Iraq in 2003, claiming the removal of Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction, but there were no sign of such weapons in Iraq and the war left thousands dead and millions affected by the surge of insurgency in the war-torn nation.

NTJ/SHI