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Iraq

Iraqi Resistance Dismisses US Withdrawal Talks, Vows More Attacks

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq (IRI) criticized the US request to hold talks with the Iraqi government regarding the presence of US forces in the country, describing them as an attempt to “turn the tables on the resistance” while stressing that it will not stop its operations against US forces in Iraq and the region. The IRI is a coalition of Shia armed groups that seek to expel foreign forces from Iraq. The US has roughly 2,500 troops in Iraq and 900 in Syria. US officials claim they are present to fight ISIS. However, the notorious extremist group was defeated in 2019 and enjoyed support from the US and its regional allies.

Iraqi Drones Target Israel’s Ashdod Port For Second Time In Three Days

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq (IRI) announced a new attack on the Israeli Port of Ashdod on 25 January, one day after the start of “phase two” of Iraqi operations in support of Gaza. “In continuation of our approach to resisting [US] occupation, in support of our people in Gaza, and in response to [Israeli] massacres … the Islamic Resistance in Iraq today, Thursday … attacked the port of Ashdod in the occupied territories with drones,” the IRI said in a statement on Thursday. This marks the second time in less than a week that the Iraqi coalition has launched a drone attack on Ashdod. On Wednesday, Abu Ala al-Walai, Secretary-General of the Kataib Sayyed al-Shuhada armed group, urged “the fighters of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq to begin phase two of their blessed operations, which will include a blockade on Zionist maritime navigation and the disabling of the [occupied] ports.”

Is A Huge War Coming?

The brutal war that Israel is waging on Gaza is increasingly becoming a regional conflict. Since October, the United States and Israel have bombed not only Gaza, but also Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, and Yemen. Now, the U.S. government is even threatening Iran with war. President Joe Biden sent the Iranian government a private message while the U.S. military was bombing Yemen on January 13. He said threateningly, “We’re confident, we’re well prepared”. While this is happening, South Africa has introduced a case in the International Court of Justice, the top United Nations judicial authority, which accuses Israel of committing genocide against the Palestinian people.

IRGC Missiles Destroy Mossad, ISIS Bases In Iraq And Syria

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced in the early hours of 16 January that multiple ballistic missiles successfully hit positions of the Israeli Mossad in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region (IKR) and the headquarters of the anti-Iran Turkestan Islamic Party in Syria's Idlib governorate. “In response to the recent crimes committed by terrorist groups and the martyrdom of a number of our citizens in Kerman and Rask, the gathering places of leaders and key elements associated with the recent terrorist operations that took place in Iran were bombed. In particular, ISIS was bombed in part of the occupied Syrian territory and destroyed via several ballistic missiles,” the IRGC said in a statement.

Could Israel’s War In Gaza Spiral Into A Regional War?

Over three months into Israel’s genocidal assault on Gaza, there is little hope the carnage will stop anytime soon—and with each passing day, the danger of Israel’s war on Gaza spiraling into a larger regional conflict increases. The devastation in Gaza is unlike anything seen in the 21st century, but Israel’s military strikes—like last week’s assassination of Saleh al-Arouri, a top leader of Hamas, in Lebanon—have not been limited to Palestine alone. At the same time, armed resistance groups in Iraq and Syria have launched hundreds of attacks on US bases, confrontation between Israel and Hezbollah has created a simmering northern front along the Lebanese border, and Yemen’s blockade of the Red Sea has created an international crisis for shipping and trade.

Iraq Wants ‘Orderly’ Withdrawal Of ‘Destabilizing’ US Troops

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said on 10 January that Baghdad wants “a quick and orderly” withdrawal of US combat forces from Iraq. Baghdad has not yet set a deadline, the prime minister said, but affirmed that the presence of US troops is “destabilizing.” "There is a need to re-organize [our] relationship [with Washington] so that it is not a target or justification for any party, internal or foreign, to tamper with stability in Iraq and the region," Sudani said, partly in reference to attacks by the Iraqi resistance on US bases. The Iraqi prime minister has repeatedly said that Baghdad will neither accept foreign troops nor armed factions operating on its soil.

Iraq Slams US Attack On PMF As Violation Of Sovereignty

On Thursday, January 4, the Iraqi government called the US attack on the headquarters of semi-official armed group Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) or Hashd al-Shaabi “a dangerous escalation and aggression against the country’s sovereignty.” At least four people were killed, including a top commander of the PMF, and six others were injured when a US drone hit PMF’s headquarters in eastern Baghdad. The PMF commander killed in the US attack was identified as Hajj Moshtaq Taleb al-Saidi (Abou Taqwa). Reacting to the US attacks, Iraqi president Abdul Latif Jamal Rashid issued a statement on Thursday condemning it and calling it a violation of Iraq’s sovereignty.

Baghdad Is ‘Heading Towards’ Ending US Military Presence In The Country

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said his government is “heading towards” ending the presence of international forces in Iraq, which includes about 2,500 US troops, the largest foreign contingent. Al-Sudani’s comments came after his government strongly condemned several rounds of US airstrikes in Iraq as a violation of sovereignty and a hostile act. In the latest strikes, the US said it targeted the Shia militia Kataib Hezbollah in retaliation for an attack on a US base, but al-Sudani’s government said civilians were also wounded in the US bombing. “We are in the process of rearranging the relationship with the international coalition, as in light of the presence of capable Iraqi forces, the Iraqi government is moving towards ending the presence of the international coalition forces,” al-Sudani said at a press conference with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.

US Launches Airstrikes Against Kataib Hezbollah In Iraq, Injuring Civilians

The Pentagon said it launched airstrikes in Iraq on Monday night, targeting three facilities used by the Shia militia Kataib Hezbollah and its affiliates after a drone attack on a US base wounded three American troops, leaving one in critical condition. The Iraqi government strongly condemned the US airstrikes as “an unacceptable violation of Iraqi sovereignty” and said one security serviceman was killed and 18 other people were injured, including civilians. Iraqi sources told Reuters that one Kataib Hezbollah fighter was killed in the strike. Kataib Hezbollah is part of the Popular Mobilization Forces, a state-sponsored coalition of mostly Shia Iraqi militias that was formed in 2014 to fight ISIS.

Iraqi Resistance Drone Strikes ‘Israeli’ Port Of Eilat

The Islamic Resistance of Iraq announced that it had attacked the port city of Eilat in southern “Israel,” and that the attack was in response to the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people carried out by the Israeli regime. On Friday, December 22, the Iraqi Resistance announced through a statement, “In line with our approach to resisting the occupation, in support of our people in Gaza, and in response to the massacres committed by the usurping entity against Palestinian civilians, including children, women and the elderly, the Mujahideen of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq has hit a target in Umm al-Rashrash, in occupied Eilat, with appropriate weapons.”

Regional Resistance To War On Gaza Continues

The Israeli war in Gaza has continued to invite strong responses from resistance forces all across the West Asian region. Militias in the region have targeted both Israel and its strongest backer, the US. On Wednesday, December 6, the Ansar Allah (Houthi)-backed government in Yemen claimed that its army fired missiles targeting Israel’s southern Umm al-Rashrash (Eilat) city and said it would continue its operations until the Israeli war on Gaza is stopped. Media reports confirmed that sirens went off across Eilat city following the Houthi attacks on Wednesday. However, it claimed that using its Arrow air defense, the Israeli military was able to intercept the missile before it could enter the country’s air space.

A Confrontation Grows Between The United States And Iraqi Forces

The October 2023 war, which kicked off with the Palestinian resistance's Al-Aqsa Flood operation and Israel's brutal assault on Gaza, has extended to Baghdad, with Iraqi resistance factions launching drone and missile strikes on US bases after warning Washington to desist in its military support of Tel Aviv. The US has now responded by targeting Iraq's Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) headquarters - killing thirteen of its members, injuring countless others, and heightening tensions between Baghdad and Washington. These strikes inside Iraq have strongly reignited pre-existing calls to expel US military forces from the country.

Report: US Bases In Iraq, Syria ‘Plagued By Weapons Thefts’

US military bases in Iraq and Syria are plagued by thefts of weapons and equipment, a report from The Intercept published on 26 November has shown. Criminal investigation documents obtained by The Intercept via the Freedom of Information Act show that “multiple sensitive weapons and equipment” — including guided missile launch systems as well as drones — have been stolen in Iraq. This follows hundreds of thousands of dollars in military equipment stolen from US troops in Iraq and Syria between 2020 and 2022, as reported previously by The Intercept. Officials in Washington claim the US bases in Iraq and Syria are needed to conduct “counter-ISIS missions,” but Russian and Syrian officials have said that US forces support ISIS, which continues to target the Syrian army.

Attacks On US Bases In Iraq And Syria Continue After US Airstrikes

Attacks on US bases in Iraq and Syria have continued through the weekend after the US launched airstrikes in eastern Syria early Friday. Lebanon’s Al Mayadeen reported that a group calling itself the Islamic Resistance in Iraq said it “successfully” targeted the US’s al-Shadadi base in northeast Syria’s al-Hasakah province on Sunday. The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also reported a drone attack on the al-Shadadi base, saying explosions were heard in the area and smoke columns rose from the base. Al Mayadeen also reported an overnight attack on a US base in Syria’s eastern Deir Ezzor province.

Will Yemen And Iraq Join Palestine’s Al-Aqsa Flood?

Just hours after the launch of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, the deadliest resistance offensive for Israel since its inception, supporters hit the streets in numerous Arab and Muslim-majority countries. Yet one nation, Yemen, stood out, despite its vast geographical distance from occupied Palestine. Not unlike previous mass demonstrations in solidarity with Palestine, hundreds of thousands of Yemenis poured into the streets of various cities, unwavering in their declaration of readiness to stand with the Palestinian resistance against what they saw as the "enemy of the Ummah."

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