The Iranian Basij Naval forces and the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) are gearing up for their first-ever joint maritime exercise in the waters of the Shatt al-Arab in Iraq.
This groundbreaking event, scheduled for Wednesday, was reported by the Iranian Tasnim News Agency, affiliated with the Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Marking the fourth anniversary of the death of Qasem Soleimani, the Foreign Operations Commander of the IRGC, and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the PMF deputy head, Iran-backed factions have escalated tensions with unprecedented attacks against US forces in Iraq and Syria.
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a coalition encompassing various Iraqi armed factions, issued four statements claiming responsibility for targeting bases housing US forces in Syria and Iraq.
The group asserted responsibility for conducting a kamikaze drone assault on Tuesday at the Al-Shaddadi base in Syria's northeastern Hasakah province, where US forces are deployed.
Earlier in the day, a rocket attack targeted the base.
Recent incidents have seen attacks utilizing kamikaze drones and ground-to-ground weapons on US military bases in the Al-Tanf region in southeastern Syria, the Malikiyya district near the Iraqi border, the town of Al-Shaddadi in Hasakah province, and in Deir ez-Zor province.
In a fervent display of remembrance, factions and groups affiliated with the PMF are commemorating the deaths of Soleimani and Muhandis with intense zeal this year.
Platforms associated with these entities are actively urging officials to participate in a central celebration.
Under this pressure, local governments in several Iraqi provinces, with the exception of the Kurdistan Region, have decided to suspend official operations in government institutions on Wednesday.
