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Baghdad, Washington: Raid on Kataib Hezbollah HQ was Strictly Iraqi

An Iraqi special forces soldier fires as other soldiers run across a street during a battle in Mosul, Iraq March 1, 2017. (Reuters)
An Iraqi special forces soldier fires as other soldiers run across a street during a battle in Mosul, Iraq March 1, 2017. (Reuters)
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Baghdad, Washington: Raid on Kataib Hezbollah HQ was Strictly Iraqi

An Iraqi special forces soldier fires as other soldiers run across a street during a battle in Mosul, Iraq March 1, 2017. (Reuters)
An Iraqi special forces soldier fires as other soldiers run across a street during a battle in Mosul, Iraq March 1, 2017. (Reuters)

The debate is still ongoing among Iraqi popular and official circles over the security forces’ raid on headquarters of the pro-Iran Kataib Hezbollah faction in southern Baghdad.

The raid was carried out late on Thursday in the Dora district, in which 14 members were arrested, including an Iranian rockets expert.

Prime Minister Mutafa al-Kadhimi, in his capacity as commander of the armed forces, ordered the elite Counter Terrorism Service to carry out the operation.

It took place after a number of rocket attacks near the US embassy in Baghdad and other US military sites, Baghdad International Airport and joint camps for Iraq’s army and international coalition forces in recent weeks.

The operation and ensuing arrests were widely supported by the majority of the political forces and civil actors who have been complaining for years about the rising influence of armed factions.

Meanwhile, pro-Iranian factions and opposing forces questioned the need for the operation, alleging that it was carried out with the help and support of the United States and the anti-ISIS coalition, which it leads.

The claims were denied by Baghdad, Washington and the coalition.

Government spokesman Ahmed Mulla Talal affirmed that the operation was planned and implemented internally and without any foreign intervention.

In a tweet on Sunday, Talal stressed that the Dora raid was preemptive and aims at preserving the integrity of the state.

The operation was completely planned, implemented and supervised by Iraqis, the spokesman added, dismissing claims to the contrary as “baseless lies”.

The US embassy meanwhile, refuted remarks attributed to US Ambassador to Kuwait, Alina Romanowski, about the operation. The US mission in Kuwait slammed the remarks reported in Iraqi media as “malicious fabrications.”

“Ambassador Romanowski gave no such interview and the purported news originates from a website created to spread false information.”

Iraqi news websites and “electronic armies” funded by Tehran had claimed that Romanowski had stated that international coalition forces had taken part in the raid at the request of the Iraqi government.

The international coalition, itself, also denied the allegations.

Coalition spokesman Myles Caggins said in press statements on Sunday that the coalition forces in Iraq are under the Iraqi government’s protection.

The Iraqi government issues the decisions, without any intervention by the US or coalition forces, he stressed.

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Iran Warns US, Israel over Syria, May Send ‘Advisors’ to Aleppo

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian speaks at parliament. (Iranian presidency)
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian speaks at parliament. (Iranian presidency)
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Iran Warns US, Israel over Syria, May Send ‘Advisors’ to Aleppo

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian speaks at parliament. (Iranian presidency)
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian speaks at parliament. (Iranian presidency)

Iran warned on Sunday the United States and Israel against exploiting the situation in Syria, hinting that it may send “advisory” forces from the Iranian Revolutionary Guards to Aleppo city if the field developments demand it.

Speaking at a parliament session, President Masoud Pezeshkian called on Islamic countries to “resolve the problems in Syria” and prevent foreign meddling in its affairs.

“We hope countries in the region won’t allow the US and Israel to exploit internal conflicts inside any Islamic country,” he added.

“The parties expanding the war and destruction are the same ones preaching about peace, human rights and humanity,” he remarked.

On Israel’s war on Gaza and Lebanon, Pezeshkian noted: “Israel has killed tens of thousands of children and the parties preaching human rights have stood idly by.”

“We don’t want war or destruction. We have exerted efforts to resolve our problems with neighbors and we have worked on improving our ties with various countries,” he went on to say.

Iran has no ambitions in other countries, he declared. “We believe that the countries of the region can ensure security in the region without the need for foreign powers,” he added.

Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, meanwhile, described the developments in Syria as a “Zionist-American plot aimed at destabilizing the region” given the timing of the unrest soon after the ceasefire in Lebanon took effect.

“It is urgent for the reasonable voices in the region to thwart this dangerous conspiracy and confront the terrorists in Syria and the region,” he demanded, warning the US and its ally Israel that “using the terrorism card will come back to haunt them.”

MP Esmaeil Kousari said Iran may send “advisory” forces to Syria, but this depends on the developments on the ground and the “decisions of the Israeli leadership.”

Iran has often called its combat operations in Syria as “advisory” roles.

Kousari, who is also a member of the IRGC, said the attacks in Aleppo are an “American and Israeli plan to sever the Iranian supply route to Hezbollah” in Lebanon.

He noted that it was no coincidence that the attack took place soon after the ceasefire in Lebanon was declared, predicting the Israel will launch a new offensive in Lebanon as soon as the 60-day truce is over.

He called on the forces allied to Iran to fight the opposition factions in Syria to prevent them from forming permanent bases in Aleppo and northern Syria. “They must be defeated to ensure the link between Syria and Hezbollah remains,” he urged.

He acknowledged that the number of Iranian advisors in Syria had dropped significantly in recent years, saying that had it been greater, they would have acted immediately against the opposition fighters.

Iranian-backed militias entered Syria overnight from Iraq and were heading to northern Syria to beef up beleaguered Syrian army forces battling opposition fighters, according to two Syrian army sources, reported Reuters on Monday.

Dozens of Iran-aligned Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) fighters from Iraq also crossed into Syria through a military route near Al-Bukamal crossing, a senior Syrian army source told Reuters.

Iran sent thousands of Shiite militias to Syria during the Syrian war and, alongside Russia with its air power, enabled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to crush the opposition and regain most of his territory.

Israel has also in recent months stepped up its strikes on Iranian bases in Syria while also waging an offensive in Lebanon which it says has weakened Hezbollah and its military capabilities.