Eurasia Press & News
Iran-backed militias in Iraq have resorted mainly to words, not actions, to support Iran since direct conflict between Israel and Iran began on June 13. The statements issued by the groups have included anti-American and anti-Israeli sentiments typical of the militias, condemnations of Israel’s strikes, and vague threats aimed at American forces in the region. Notably, the militias have focused their threats against the United States instead of Israel.
Kataib Hezbollah (KH), a US-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization backed by Iran, issued a statement on June 15. It indicated that the group would not join Iran’s attacks on Israel, saying, “While Iran bravely and steadfastly confronts the Zionist aggression, we are closely monitoring the movements of the American enemy’s military in the region.” The group goes on to threaten, “If America intervenes in the war, we will act directly against its interests and bases throughout the region without hesitation.” KH also calls on the Iraqi government to prevent the use of Iraqi airspace for attacks, close the US embassy, and expel US forces.
Harakat Hezbollah al Nujaba (HHN), a Specially Designated Global Terrorist entity known for its extreme loyalty to Iran’s supreme leader, released a statement on June 13. The statement, full of praise for Iran, warned, “The treacherous Zionist aggression against the Islamic Republic, the blatant violation of Iraq’s sovereignty, and the repeated breaches of its airspace in coordination with the American occupier will not go unpunished.” It went on to say, “The American occupation must be completely expelled from all Iraqi lands and airspace.” However, the statement stopped short of declaring that HHN would conduct attacks on Israeli or American assets.
Drones have targeted US interests in Iraq on two occasions since Operation Rising Lion began, but no group has yet claimed these attacks. In the first incident on June 14, three drones were launched toward Ain al Assad airbase in western Iraq. The next day, local media reported that US forces downed a drone near the American mission in Erbil in the Kurdistan region.
Recent attacks on American interests by Iran-backed militias in Iraq have been carried out under the umbrella of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq (IRI), a collection of groups that includes KH and HHN. The IRI targeted US forces in Syria and Iraq nearly 200 times since it began a campaign in solidarity with Hamas terrorists in Gaza after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023. The militias had stopped targeting US interests after a January 2024 drone attack killed three US servicemembers.
Since the start of Israel’s attacks on Iran, Sabereen News, an Iraqi Telegram channel linked to several Iranian-backed militias (and possibly Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force), has ramped up its incitement and propaganda targeting the United States and its presence in Iraq. One of its first posts is an image of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s hand holding a rifle barrel with a caption reading, “America and Israel are under your feet.”
On June 14, the channel published a quote attributed to Khamenei: “The world must destroy America, or these problems will destroy the world as long as America exists.” Beneath the quote is a message reading, “Our time is at 8 near the suspension bridge”—a reference to a protest by Baghdad’s July 14 Bridge, which leads to the Green Zone and the US Embassy.
The channel escalated its rhetoric in subsequent messages, calling for direct action against the embassy. One statement read, “O Ali’s people, take your positions and make your presence known today to demand the closure of the US Embassy and the expulsion of the occupation, in numbers matching the size of Eid al Ghadir.”
Sabereen also issued calls for participation in demonstrations to specific militia factions. To the Badr Organization, it declared, “To the Badris, the youth and the elderly, to the men of Abu Hassan al Amri—today is the day of allegiance.” To Kataib Hezbollah: “O sons of the Victorious Brigades, to the swords of allegiance and the sons of silent jihad, we await your banners on the suspension bridge.” To Harakat Hezbollah al Nujaba: “O sons of Akram al Kaabi, sons of Abu Taqwa al Saidi, men of the arenas—show generosity today through your attendance and support for Islam.” And to Asaib Ahl al Haq: “O sons of Hajj Mahdi al Kinani and Abu Siddiqah, O Asaib Ahl al Haq, O guardians of the battlefield—will you allow the military barracks disguised as an embassy to remain in Baghdad?!”
Other posts echoed sectarian and nationalistic themes, with lines such as, “Where are the free Shiites of Ali? Where are the students of the Ashura school? Closing the US Embassy is a religious, sectarian, and national duty.” Sabereen repeated messages urging Iraqis to “Head to the suspension bridge in support of Islam and the Messenger of God.”
On June 16, Sabereen reported that flocks of Iraqis had attended protests and demonstrations near the July 14 Bridge. Iraqi parliamentarians have reportedly joined in the demonstrations along with individuals raising the flag of Kataib Hezbollah. Sabereen also reported that individuals affiliated with the media office of the Popular Mobilization Forces, an official military arm of the Iraqi government largely comprised of pro-Iran militias, were heading toward the bridge to join the protests.
