Iraqi militias mobilise in anticipation of potential Israeli attack

Iraqi factions allied with Iran said they have strengthened coordination and cooperation to confront any potential Israeli attacks, a source close to the factions told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, The New Arab’s Arabic language sister publication.

The factions, which are part of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, said Israel is likely to start lauching attacks on Iraq after a drone launched by Iraqi factions on Friday killed two Israeli soldiers in the occupied Golan Heights area of Syria.

"Yesterday’s attack greatly increased the possibility of Iraq being exposed to Israeli attack and the factions are treating an attack as inevitable," a source close to the factions said, adding that there was an agreement to enhance coordination to confront any potential aggression.

According to the source, who refused to be named for security reasons, the factions have informed the Iraqi government of their position, and said they would attack American interests in the event of Israeli attacks.

"The factions also have taken precautionary measures to secure their headquarters spread through the country…and have secured the movements of their leaders," the source added.

The leader of the ruling Coordination Framework coalition in Iraq, Adi Abdul Hadi, issued a press statement on Friday stating that the so-called "axis of resistance", made up of Iran and allied groups, will win in the face of any attacks from Israel.

"Our battle with the occupying entity is the battle of the Islamic and Arab nation, and what is happening now in Lebanon and Palestine is crimes of genocide against innocent people," he said, adding that any attacks on Iraq "will not pass without a response".

The UK based Shafaq News reported on Saturday that Israel is already preparing to take action against armed groups in Iraq, following similar action taken against Yemen’s Hodeidah port after a missile from Yemen killed an Israeli civilian.

At the time, Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant said that "the first time they killed an Israeli citizen, we attacked. The fire can be seen across the Middle East".

Israeli retaliation 

"We will find the appropriate response, whether it’s a direct reaction to the drone attack on army soldiers in the Golan or something else. We will certainly act," an Israeli official reportedly said, according to Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.

Israel’s former Prime Minister, Ehud Barak, also told The Guardian that Israel had a "urgent and necessary" need to retaliate.

"The Israeli response model can be seen in the retaliatory airstrikes on oil facilities and power stations at the Houthi-controlled port of Hodeidah in Yemen. We could see something similar, perhaps a large attack that could happen more than once," he said.

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq claimed responsibility for the attack, stating that they used an advanced drone model for the first time.

When Israel intensified its bombardment towards the end of last month, the Islamic Resistance said that it was ready to deploy thousands of fighters to Lebanon in support of Hezbollah.

Hezbollah and Yemen’s Houthis have been engaged in retaliatory attacks with Israel since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza in October last year in solidarity with Palestinians.

More than 2,000 people have been killed in Israeli bombardment of Lebanon in recent weeks, with around 1.2 million people more displaced, as people flee the south and east of the country and southern suburbs of the capital Beirut.

Leading humanitarian and human rights organisations have called for an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon as Israel continues to wage its expanding war in the region.