On March 18, the powerful Iranian-backed militias Kataib Hezbollah said it might cease its attacks in Iraq if certain conditions are met. It has asked Israel to stop operations in Beirut and created other conditions that make it seem unlikely it will comply with its own pause in attacks.
This appears to be the first time that an Iranian-backed militia has said it might cease attacks, which began on February 28 alongside the US and Israeli strikes on Iran. Iran has used the militias in Iraq to carry out dozens of attacks on US facilities in Iraq, such as the embassy in Baghdad and the consulate in Erbil.
In addition, they have carried out hundreds of attacks on the Kurdistan Region. The US consulate in Erbil is in the Kurdistan Region.
Kataib Hezbollah is considered the most senior of the militias in Iraq and the one closest to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in Iran. Kataib Hezbollah is viewed as a terrorist group by the US. It is part of the Popular Mobilization Force in Iraq, a paramilitary group backed by the government. Several dozen brigades inside the PMF are also Iranian-backed militias.
Iranian-backed militias in Iraq form a central pillar of Tehran’s regional influence. Most have been designated as terrorist organizations or sanctioned by the US Department of State and the US Department of the Treasury. Groups such as Kataib Hezbollah and Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba have been linked to attacks on US forces and coalition facilities over the last few years.
Asaib Ahl al-Haq, another prominent faction, has also been sanctioned for its role in violence and its ties to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Additional groups, including Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada and Ashab al-Kahf, are part of the terrorist network of militias as well.
Airstrikes hit Jurf Sakhr militia HQ, attacks spread in Iraq
When the US and Israel began attacks on Iran, there were also airstrikes on the militia headquarters at Jurf Sakhr near Baghdad. No country took responsibility for the strike. The militias then began attacks across Iraq. This has escalated. There have been numerous strikes on the militias, and they appear to have lost dozens of fighters.
Now, in a new twist, Kataib Hezbollah has announced that it could begin a 5-day pause in attacks on the US Embassy in Baghdad. Abu Majeed Assaf, a senior figure in the terrorist militias, said the decision was ordered by its leader, Abu Hussein al-Hamidawi. The leader of Kataib Hezbollah is also known as Abu Fadak. The group has conditions to end its thought.
It wants Israel to stop operations targeting Hezbollah in Beirut. It also wants an end to airstrikes on the militias in Iraq. It also says it wants the CIA to remain at the Embassy. This condition was described in Rudaw as “the group also called for US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) personnel to remain inside the embassy compound, noting that this condition does not apply to the Kurdistan Region.”
Kataib Hezbollah said that if “the enemy fails to comply, the response will be direct, with an escalation of strikes.” This means the group created impossible conditions that won’t be met, so it can justify more attacks.
Meanwhile, the low-level war continues in Iraq. Iran has sought to spread the war to Iraq. Rudaw media in Erbil noted that “a fighter from Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) was killed and several others wounded in an attack targeting their position in Salahaddin province early Thursday, the group said, as attacks continue on pro-Iran groups in Iraq amid escalating regional tensions.”
It also said that Kazim al-Fartousi, spokesperson for Kata'ib Sayyid al-Shuhada, “said in an interview with Rudaw that the group considers US forces stationed in Iraq as legitimate targets, accusing them of launching attacks from bases in northern Iraq.”
Attacks have continued in Iraq. Explosions from drone attacks were heard in the Kurdistan Region on Wednesday. The Kurdistan Region’s Peshmerga Ministry said Wednesday that three Peshmerga fighters were wounded in drone attacks in Erbil and Sulaimaniyah.
Meanwhile, Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani spoke with Turkish Consul General in Erbil Erman Topcu on Wednesday. Rudaw noted that Barzani “stressed the need to intensify diplomatic efforts to prevent the expansion of the ongoing regional war and keep Iraq and the Kurdistan Region out of the conflict.”