The Iranian military deployed reinforcements along the Iran’s border with Iraq during the past 24 hours, the Al-Arabi al-Jadid pan-Arab news site reported (Arabic link). Forces were concentrated in several locations and dug new outposts.

The Iranian deployment stems from growing activity of Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) cells in Iraq, near the Iranian border. Tehran fears that Sunni gunmen will try to penetrate the territory after taking over large areas in Iraq and Syria.

A senior Iraqi official told Al-Arabi al-Jadid this is the first time that such a large number of Iranian forces have spread out along the border with Iraq. Iraqi commentators expressed concern that Iran will use the “ISIS pretext” to enter Iraqi territory and take over lands on the Iraqi side of the border.

Saudi Arabia is also taking action against the ISIS threat on its shared border with Iraq.  The kingdom is building a 600-mile wall from the Saudi-Jordanian border, to its border with Kuwait. The wall will separate Saudi Arabia from Iraq, according to a United Press International (UPI) report:

The fence-and-ditch construction project includes 40 watchtowers, five layers of fence, sand embankments and radar and camera installations, and is meant to separate Saudi desert territory from that of Iraq, much of which is controlled by IS. It is patrolled by 30,000 troops. The cost of the project has not been revealed.

Among ISIS stated goals is the eventual capture of the holy Saudi cities of Mecca and Medina. An ISIS attack last week on the Saudi Arabia-Iraq border killed three Saudi guards.

[Photo: M-ATF, from military.ir and iranmilitaryforum.net / Wikimedia Commons CC 3.0]