Leaders of various Iraqi armed factions are studying “preliminary” plans to support the Hezbollah party in Lebanon should a war erupt between it and Israel.
The plans are not final because Hezbollah and Iran have yet to approve them, four informed sources told Asharq Al-Awsat.
They revealed that a senior Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) officer met in Baghdad with leaders of the pro-Iran Coordination Framework and representatives of Tehran-aligned armed factions to discuss their proposals to support Hezbollah against Israel.
On June 13, the factions told Iran they were prepared to fight alongside Hezbollah should a broader conflict erupt in the region over the Israeli war on Gaza, said Iraqi sources.
The sources added that the meeting was held after intense talks between the leaders of the factions about the need to “head to the Lebanon front.” The IRGC saw that it was “necessary to listen to their plans and watch them closely.”
They revealed that the IRGC “agreed to attend the meeting at the pressing demand of Hezbollah in Lebanon because it was necessary to observe the reaction of Iraqi factions, which don’t always have the most accurate assessments.”
Hezbollah ultimately rejected the Iraqi factions’ offer for their fighters to take part in any potential war.
Asharq Al-Awsat elaborated on this issue in a June 20 report. Hezbollah said it had reservations over the involvement of the Iraqi factions in Lebanon due to the sensitive situation in the country and various considerations on the field.
Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah said: “The resistance in Lebanon received offers from armed factions leaders in Iran, Iraq, Syria, Yemen and others to send tens of thousands of fighters to help Hezbollah.”
“We are grateful, but we already have large numbers of our own,” he added.
Supply route
The rejection did not deter the Iraqi factions from making their plans, which include supplying Hezbollah with weapons, rockets, drones and fighters “when necessary.”
Two sources who attended the Baghdad meeting said Tehran will have the final say over these plans and it has to take political considerations into account.
The meeting was attended by Asaib Ahl al-Haq leader Qais al-Khazali, head of the Popular Mobilization Forces Falih Al-Fayyadh, leaders of the Nujaba movement, Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada and other armed factions.
The IRGC officer listened to various proposals, including one by an armed faction that said “all of its fighters were ready to head to southern Lebanon and act as the first line of defense of Hezbollah against Israel.”
The Iranian officer deemed the proposal “too enthusiastic at the moment.” The situation in Lebanon must be taken into consideration, he added.
Other faction leaders proposed setting up supply routes to Hezbollah to send rockets and drones to the South. They even suggested using Beirut’s Rafik Hariri International Airport to transfer these weapons swiftly.
Just days ago, Britain's The Telegraph claimed that Hezbollah was storing rockets at the airport, prompting outrage from Lebanon’s caretaker Minister of Public Works Ali Hamieh, who said the report “damages the image of the airport.”
The proposal was dismissed by the Iranian officer, saying Hezbollah fears that Israel may strike the airport now that “all eyes are on it,” revealed the sources.
Attention then shifted to Syria. A source from the Kataib Hezbollah told Asharq Al-Awsat that a supply route needs the expertise of factions active in Syria and secret warehouses that would not be targeted by Israeli strikes.
One proposal suggested the redeployment of Iraqi factions in Syria in order to support Hezbollah in Lebanon. Kataib Hezbollah said weapons would be transferred by a single truck, instead of a convoy, to avoid attracting Israel’s attention.
On June 22, an “unknown” strike targeted a rocket and drone shipment by a pro-Iran Iraqi faction in Syria’s Alboukamal region bordering Iraq.
Objection
At the Baghdad meeting, Asaib Ahl al-Haq leader Qais al-Khazali objected to all plans on taking the fight to Lebanon, saying: “The best thing we can offer Hezbollah is target American interests in Iraq.”
The position created sharp differences between the representatives of the factions, with an argument ensuing in front of the Iranian officer, said the source.
The officer then called on the factions against acting rashly and to wait for the approval from Tehran, which is currently involved in political negotiations.
Soon after the meeting, Khazali appeared in a televised address on Monday to declare: “America should know that all of its interests in the region and Iraq are now targets and in danger.”
Iran’s reservations over the Iraqi plans are in line with remarks by Israel's national security adviser Tzachi Hanegbi, who said on Tuesday that Israel will spend the coming weeks trying to resolve the conflict with Hezbollah and would prefer a diplomatic solution, reported Reuters.
The four sources said the Iranians, after consulting with Hezbollah, did not approve of any of the Iraqi plans, but they were intrigued with the supply route proposal, whether a broader war erupts or not.
