Iraqi militias vow to attack US targets if war in Lebanon escalates

The Iraqi Resistance Coalition, which consists of several armed groups allied with Iran, has declared an end to the ceasefire with the US in Iraq that has been in place since February. The coalition also threatened to expand military operations against US interests in Iraq and the region if Israel were to start a full-scale war against Lebanon.

The announcement coincides with the factions’ second meeting in less than ten days to discuss issues as tensions rise between Hezbollah and Israel.

“In response to the Zionist-American enemy’s threats to inflict war on Lebanon and its valiant resistance, the intensity and scope of operations against it will escalate if these threats are carried out. Legitimate targets will include the criminal interests of the US enemy in Iraq and the region,” the coalition said in a recent press release.

Iraqi Islamic resistance groups have intensified their media campaign against the United States following mutual threats between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Less than two weeks ago, they held an “extraordinary” meeting to discuss the US presence in Iraq and reaffirmed their ability to end it “by any means necessary.”

Sources within the Islamic Resistance in Iraq have told the Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar that hundreds of fighters from various armed groups, particularly Kata’ib Hezbollah, are being trained in camps inside and outside Iraq under Iranian supervision. These exercises are seen as a precautionary measure in view of a possible full-scale conflict in the region, especially after the increased tensions between Hezbollah and Israel.

The sources noted that there is now a renewed focus on training Iraqi fighters as modern weapons, missiles and high-tech drones arrive from Iran and Russia, requiring specialized training. They revealed the existence of more than ten training camps in various Iraqi cities that serve two purposes: training regular fighters and preparing individual fighters under the guidance of Iranian military experts to a standard comparable to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps or Hezbollah.

In addition, groups of recruits currently being trained in Iran are expected to complete their training and return to Iraq, including members of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), Kata’ib Hezbollah and Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq. The focus of this training goes beyond military skills to include ideological mobilization and operational readiness.

The coalition also criticized the Basra-Aqaba oil pipeline project, which it viewed as an economic burden for Iraq with no benefit and which marked the beginning of a “program to facilitate the normalization of relations with Israel.”

Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati said his country was in a state of war amid ongoing clashes between Israel and Hezbollah, raising fears of a possible Israeli invasion.

These developments follow the ceasefire between Iraqi resistance groups and the US in February following the assassination of Kata’ib Hezbollah leader Abu Bakr al-Saadi. Since then, despite continued US drone activity in Iraqi airspace, particularly in Baghdad, Anbar and Kurdistan, there have been no operations against US interests in the country. However, the groups have claimed responsibility for drone operations against Israeli property.

In May, American and British companies in Baghdad, including Caterpillar and the Cambridge Institute, were subjected to a series of attacks. The Iraqi government attributed these incidents to attempts to destabilize the country and arrested 12 people in connection with the attacks.

Since the October 7 Hamas-led attacks and the subsequent Israeli war on Gaza, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq – made up of Tehran-affiliated groups such as Kata’ib Hezbollah, Al-Nujaba, Sayyid al-Shuhada and Imam Ali – has carried out hundreds of attacks on Israeli and US facilities, including a drone strike in January on a US base near the Syrian border in Jordan that killed three US soldiers.

The PMF, officially part of the Iraqi security forces, also sides with the resistance factions and often receives instructions from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

The PMF had previously cited “social, political and religious pressure” as reasons for ending what it called a “calm period” with Washington. It has given the Iraqi government an ultimatum to seek legal and diplomatic solutions to end the international coalition’s presence in Iraq.