Iraq: Imminent Strikes on Iran-Backed Factions

File photo of members of the Al-Nujaba movement during a military parade in Baghdad (Reuters)
File photo of members of the Al-Nujaba movement during a military parade in Baghdad (Reuters)
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Iraq: Imminent Strikes on Iran-Backed Factions

File photo of members of the Al-Nujaba movement during a military parade in Baghdad (Reuters)
File photo of members of the Al-Nujaba movement during a military parade in Baghdad (Reuters)

Iraqi government and political sources suggest that more strikes on Iran-backed militia sites in Iraq are likely, following increased attacks on Israel last week.

On Thursday, Yemen’s Houthi group claimed drone attacks on Haifa port. Their leader, Abdul Malik al-Houthi, said these attacks will increase with help from the other resistance groups in Iraq.

Two drones hit targets, and US and Israeli defenses had to intercept many others, according to American officials and the Israeli military.

Israeli media reported that new weapons like cruise missiles, used more frequently since May, are harder for air defenses to destroy.

Iraqi sources have indicated that imminent and almost certain strikes will target Iraqi factions but declined to specify who will carry out these attacks.

Israeli media has confirmed that the Israeli military is planning extensive attacks on Iranian-backed groups in Iraq.

This threat follows an increase in rocket attacks on Israel by Iraqi factions in recent weeks, raising concerns in Washington and among some allies about potential Israeli retaliation and regional escalation, according to Israeli reports.

Last week, Hussein al-Mousawi, spokesperson for al-Nujaba, a faction of the “Islamic Resistance in Iraq,” stated that the strikes are a natural progression of the groups’ role and aim to increase the cost of the war in Gaza.

Al-Mousawi added that they intend to strike from any location as long as it is necessary.

A senior official in the resistance axis told Reuters that while Iran is keen for Iraqi factions to participate in the regional battle against Israel, the tendency of these factions to miscalculate remains a constant concern.

A leader within Iraq’s Coordination Framework told Asharq Al-Awsat that armed Iraqi factions are likely rebelling due to disputes over influence and shares among Shiite powers, with the message aimed at Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and Iran.

He clarified that this rebellion is a local issue, aiming to balance Shiite powers.

However, two Iraqi sources linked the recent escalation of Iraqi factions and increased activity with the Houthi group in Yemen against Israel to President Joe Biden’s plan to halt the war in Gaza.

They suggested that Iran likely intends to obstruct the plan to avoid cutting the resistance’s lifeline and hindering a new political formula in the region.

A high-ranking political source close to al-Sudani’s office stated that efforts are being made to stop attacks from within Iraqi territory, but guarantees are hard to come by at this point.



Israeli Strikes Kill 14 Palestinians in Gaza, Medical Officials Say

Displaced Palestinians walk near their tents, set up along the beach in the west of Al-Nuseirat refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, 11 November 2024. (EPA)
Displaced Palestinians walk near their tents, set up along the beach in the west of Al-Nuseirat refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, 11 November 2024. (EPA)
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Israeli Strikes Kill 14 Palestinians in Gaza, Medical Officials Say

Displaced Palestinians walk near their tents, set up along the beach in the west of Al-Nuseirat refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, 11 November 2024. (EPA)
Displaced Palestinians walk near their tents, set up along the beach in the west of Al-Nuseirat refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, 11 November 2024. (EPA)

Palestinian medical officials say two Israeli strikes in Gaza killed at least 14 people, including two children and a woman, most in an Israeli-declared humanitarian zone.

One strike late Monday hit a makeshift cafeteria used by displaced people in Muwasi, the center of the so-called humanitarian zone. At least 11 people were killed, including two children, according to officials at Nasser Hospital, where the casualties were taken. Video from the scene showed men pulling bloodied wounded from among tables and chairs set up in the sand in an enclosure made of corrugated metal sheets.

The strike came hours after the Israeli military announced an expansion of the zone, where it has told Palestinians evacuating from other parts of Gaza to take refuge. Hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians are sheltering in sprawling tent camps in and around Muwasi, a largely desolate area of dunes and agricultural fields with few facilities or services along the Mediterranean coast of southern Gaza.

Israel faces a deadline this week for the Biden administration’s ultimatum for it to allow more aid into Gaza or risk possible restrictions on US military funding.

Another strike early Tuesday hit a house in the urban Al-Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, killing three people including a woman, according to al-Awda Hospital, which received the casualties. The strike also wounded 11 others, it said.

The Israeli military had no immediate comment on either strike.

Israel’s 19-month-old campaign in Gaza has killed more than 43,000 Palestinians, according to local health authorities who don’t distinguish between civilians and fighters in their count, but say more than half the dead were women and children.

Israel says it targets Hamas fighters and blames the armed group for civilian deaths, saying it operates in residential areas and infrastructure and among displaced people.

The war in Gaza began when Hamas-led gunmen stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023 and killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted about 250. Around 100 hostages are still inside Gaza, about a third believed to be dead.