Key Takeaways
- Iraqi Shiite militia Kata’ib Hezbollah threatens to attack U.S. forces if Israel assaults Iraq.
- The militia has conducted multiple attacks on Israeli and U.S. targets in the region in support of Palestinians in Gaza.
- The threat is made amid intense activity in the region, including drone and missile attacks on Israeli targets.
Baghdad: Iraqi Shiite militia Kata’ib Hezbollah on Wednesday threatened to attack the presence of U.S. forces if Israel assaults Iraq.
Abu Ali al-Askar, security leader of the Iranian-backed Shiite militia, said in a statement that the Iraqi airspace is witnessing intense activity by the United States and Israel, indicating “the possibility of a Zionist (Israeli) aggression against Iraq.”
“Accordingly, the Kata’ib Hezbollah renews its warning that its response will not be limited to Israel only, but will include the entire U.S. presence,” the statement said.
Al-Askar also called on the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a Shiite militia group, to increase the number and scale of their operations and the level of threat to Israel.
Earlier in the day, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq claimed responsibility for multiple drone and missile attacks on Israeli targets “in solidarity with our people in Palestine and Lebanon,” without specifying the affected sites or reporting any casualties.
Since the onset of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq has conducted multiple attacks on Israeli and U.S. targets in the region in support of Palestinians in Gaza.
