Iran-backed Iraqi militia threatens to attack Israel and its allies
A Tehran-backed armed faction in Iraq has threatened to join the war between Israel and Iran, heightening concerns that the conflict, now in its fourth day, could spread across the region.
The True Promise Corps, part of a shadowy coalition calling itself the Islamic Resistance Iraq, said on Monday that it would launch attacks against Israel and its interests in the region.
'We declare that all the sites and camps of the entity [Israel] and anyone who supports it in the region are targets for us,' its leader, Mohammed Al Tamimi, said in a statement on X.
The threat marks a sharp shift in tone by Iran-backed Iraqi militias, who said previously that they would enter the conflict only if US forces based in the country intervened to support Israel.
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq has previously claimed responsibility for drone and rocket attacks against Israel and US forces in the region over Israel's war in Gaza.
Mr Al Tamimi also threatened action against 'Israeli agents' in Iraq. He singled out the capital of Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan Region, Erbil, as a potential target, calling it a hub for 'training agents and spies'.
Iran and its Iraqi proxies have long accused the Kurds of hosting a station of Israel's Mossad spy agency in the region. They have launched several attacks on Erbil, including with ballistic missiles launched from Iran.
On Sunday, the powerful Kataib Hezbollah group said it was monitoring movements of US troops in the region. 'If America intervenes in the war, we will act without any hesitation against its interests and bases,' the group said.
Other Iran-backed groups such as Hezbollah Harakat Al Nujabaa, Kata'ib Sayyid Al Shuhada and Asaib Ahl Al Haq have taken the same position.
Tehran holds significant sway through political and paramilitary proxies in Iraq, and their involvement in the conflict could destabilise the country's recovery from years of war and sectarian violence.
The Iraqi government has asked both Iran and US, its two most important allies, to stop it being caught up in the conflict, Iraqi officials have said.
Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani told Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in a phone call on Sunday that 'Iraq is keen to prevent the war from expanding', according to a statement from his office.
Mr Pezeshkian 'urged the Iraqi government to take measures to protect its airspace and prevent its territory from being exploited by adversaries', according to an Iranian statement.
In a move to alleviate Iranian concerns, Iraq deployed air defence systems in several 'sensitive areas' around the country on Sunday, mainly near the borders with Iran. Iraq has also lodged a formal complaint with the UN Security Council regarding Israel's violation of its airspace after it began attacking Iran on Friday.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Middle East Eye
41 minutes ago
- Middle East Eye
Palestinians in Jaffa denied access to bomb shelter by Israeli neighbours
Palestinians in Jaffa say they are being denied access by their Israeli neighbours to an underground bomb shelter which they had previously been allowed to use during Israel's escalating war with Iran. Residents of Yehuda Hayamit Street told Middle East Eye they had been told the entry code giving them access to the shelter had been changed after about a dozen or so of them had taken refuge there in recent days as sirens sounded, following Iranian missile attacks targeting nearby Tel Aviv. They say the episode highlights the discrimination and the dangers they face as Palestinian citizens of Israel even in one of the country's mixed cities, where about a third of the population remains Palestinian. Nasir Ktelat, a 63-year-old with health issues who lives in a fourth-story apartment across the road from the shelter, said that he and others from his residence had been given access by someone on their building committee, and said it had been usual for those living in nearby older buildings to gather there when sirens sounded. But he said when they entered the shelter over the weekend they were made to feel unwelcome by the Israeli residents of the newer building. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters 'It was clear they were not happy to see us,' said Ktelat. 'We were about 12 to 15 Muslims and Christians from the building nearby. Of course, we felt not welcomed, but we didn't care.' 'They said: 'We made a made a decision that we don't want you to come, and we are going to change the code.'.. It was clear that it was because we are Arabs' - Nasir Ktelat, Jaffa resident The next day, Ktelat said, they had returned and were allowed in but it was again conveyed that they were unwelcome. 'In the end, they told us it was the last time,' he said. 'They said: 'We made a made a decision that we don't want you to come, and we are going to change the code.' One resident of the building had appeared sympathetic, but told them nonetheless that all of the residents agreed that they should not be allowed to use the shelter, Ktelat said. Yehuda Hayamit Street is a mixture of older residences and newer buildings. Jewish Israelis living in older buildings in the neighbourhood appeared to have still been allowed access to the shelter, he added. 'It was clear that it was because we are Arabs. This is our reality and not something that us new to us,' Ktelat said. Palestinian citizens 'hostage to Israel's wars' Once a thriving Palestinian port which now lies in the southern suburbs of Tel Aviv, Jaffa was ethnically cleansed during the Nakba, when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were forced from their homes during the events leading to the creation of Israel in 1948. Much of the city's population was driven south to refugee camps in Gaza. In recent years, the area has been regenerated, with historic buildings restored and museums and galleries making it a cultural hub for Israelis and tourists, though Palestinian residents complain that their neighbourhoods and residential buildings have been largely neglected. Iran's attacks on Israel, launched in response to Israeli attacks on Iran which have killed hundreds of people, have highlighted how Palestinian citizens of Israel – who make up about 20 percent of the population – have been excluded from the country's extensive system of public air raid shelters and legislation requiring safe rooms and shelters to be built into new buildings. Iranian strikes expose lack of shelters for Palestinian citizens of Israel, residents say Read More » On Saturday, four Palestinian citizens of Israel were killed in the predominantly Arab town of Tamra, some 25km east of Haifa, after an Iranian missile unexpectedly struck their residential building. Before Saturday's strikes, Tamra's residents had repeatedly complained of the lack of bomb shelters in the area. Residents told MEE that despite the town being home to more than 35,000 people, there were no public shelters. Meanwhile, according to reports, the nearby Jewish Israeli community of Mitzpe Aviv had at least 13 public shelters for its 1,100 residents. Video footage published on Sunday showed a group of Israelis celebrating the Iranian missile falling on Tamra and singing an anti-Arab song "May your village burn", popularised by the Israeli pop singer Kobi Peretz. Abed Abu Shahada, a Palestinian activist based in Jaffa, told MEE that the refusal of Israelis to allow their Arab neighbours to share their bomb shelters highlighted an 'ingrained racism' within Israeli society. 'If we were shocked by the video showing a Jewish family rejoicing as a missile struck Tamra in the Galilee, the case in Jaffa reveals another layer: the complete abandonment of neighbours to their fate, and the broad public legitimisation of such behaviour,' said Shahada. Shahada accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of knowingly putting all Israeli citizens in danger by attacking Iran in the knowledge that Israel would face a response. 'However, this danger is not equally distributed. Over the past decades, as missile attacks and strikes became unavoidable, Israel promoted war-adapted construction. Yet this policy was implemented primarily in Jewish localities, with no parallel planning for Arab towns and neighbourhoods. 'As a result, Palestinian citizens have been made hostages to Israel's military ventures.'
The National
an hour ago
- The National
Test of endurance for Israel as one in 10 Iranian missiles penetrating defences
One in 10 Iranian missiles are cutting through Israeli air defences with a pan- Middle East exchange of attacks now becoming a battle of resources, experts have told The National. Iran is thought to be deploying its hypersonic Fatah-1 missiles, capable of flying at up to 18,600kph while manoeuvring in flight, making them difficult to intercept. A battle of numbers is also developing, with the amount of relevant missiles Iran has, estimated at about 2,000, compared to the stockpile of Israel's interceptors that has rapidly been used up in four days of bombardment. Crucial to the outcome of this long-range war will be which side has the most missiles. If Israel's world-leading Iron Dome, Arrow and the David's Sling layered system runs out of interceptors, then its cities and industrial centres will be vulnerable to Iran's missile fleet. But if Israel manages to fend off the offensive – it is estimated Tehran has used 280 of its total stockpile – there will be no deterrent from further attacks. Israel on Monday claimed it had destroyed a third of all Iranian missile launchers and now 'controls the skies over Tehran', although experts say its own missile interceptor stocks are 'running low'. Bleed through Key to Iran's successes in penetrating defences has been the Fatah-1 missile that entered service only two years ago. The medium-range missile travels on a fixed trajectory until a few hundred kilometres from its target when its movable nozzle is initiated, increasing speed threefold to up to Mach 15, allowing it to change course frequently. That tactic is designed to throw off the calculations of Israel's long-range radars that can track the threats, predicting impact points. The ability to intercept a fast-moving missile high in the atmosphere is 'phenomenally complex', said Nick Brown, director of equipment intelligence at Janes, the defence intelligence company. These missiles operate in what is called exo-atmospheric flight, or outside Earth's atmosphere. 'The pure physics of making an exo-atmospheric or very high-speed interception within the atmosphere – basically making sure your interceptor is going to be in the right place at the right time – is phenomenally complex,' Mr Brown told The National. The defenders could likely to fire two or three interceptors for every incoming missile, for which, with each Arrow-3 costing $3 million, there is a finite amount. While Israel has good protection around its major cities, as well as military sites and key national infrastructure, it cannot protect the entire country, hence why some towns have been hit. And even with the missile defence, Tel Aviv and the northern industrial city of Haifa have been struck. 'If Iran can get enough missiles in the air simultaneously, some of them will likely bleed through,' Mr Brown said. Reduced stocks To win the missile war and reduce the negative political impact of a high civilian death toll, Israel will be heavily reliant on its sophisticated layered defensive system. The key defence against high-speed missiles are the Arrow-2 and Arrow-3 interceptors – the latter is an exo-atmospheric system – that can take out threats along the arc of a ballistic trajectory. Dr Sidharth Kaushal, an expert on missile technology at the Rusi think tank, said Israel has achieved a 'high success rate of around 90 per cent' and the number of missiles 'leaking through the Israeli defensive system is not especially high'. 'No system provides preclusive defence and if a system is saturated with enough missiles, some will get through." But he warned the interceptors themselves, especially the Arrow-2 local coverage weapons, had unknown stockpiles and 'the fact that the US has deployed a destroyer to abet the defence and is apparently considering further deployments would suggest that there is a meaningful risk of Israeli interceptor stockpiles running low'. Poor accuracy Most of Iran's arsenal is based on the Shahab-3, a ballistic missile that once fired follows the same trajectory making it easier to shoot down. But if the Shahab pierces defences – its accuracy is also quite poor – it carries a devastating 1,200kg warhead that will impact at about 8,600kmh. Another more effective ballistic missile introduced in 2020 is the Haj Qasem, named after assassinated former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander Qassem Suleimani, that Iran claims can penetrate advanced air defences and strike targets with precision. It travels at Mach 12 (14,800kph), with a 500kg warhead. Endurance test But the Israel air force is pounding Iran's supplies, especially as it appears to have achieved air superiority over the country, with many missiles and their launchers now being pre-emptively struck. 'As such, the outcome of the test of endurance between the two sides is not yet certain,' Dr Kaushal said. However, without those air strikes it might be possible for Iran to overwhelm the enemy air defence systems, either 'by the sheer number of attacks, or by attacking from different directions', said Dr Marion Messmer, an expert on arms control at Chatham House think tank. 'That's why we've seen differing success rates in terms of the interception, especially with the hypersonic glide vehicles, when they remain manoeuvrable in flight. But the fact is that Israel has managed to intercept a huge amount of these various attacks.'
The National
an hour ago
- The National
Israel attacks Iranian TV station as it claims 'aerial superiority'
Israel attacked a TV station in Tehran on Monday as it proclaimed "aerial superiority" over Iran. Warplanes struck Iran for a fourth day as Israel said it was going "launcher by launcher" to destroy Iran's missile strength. Iran fired hundreds of missiles back, hitting a power plant in Haifa and destroying buildings in Tel Aviv. The Israeli military said residents of a northern district of Tehran should evacuate "immediately", echoing warnings that have typically preceded strikes on Gaza and Lebanon. An attack followed on the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting station, as Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said the "Iranian propaganda and incitement megaphone is about to disappear". Footage showed a newsreader hurrying out of a studio during a broadcast lambasting Israel Mr Katz said residents of Tehran would "pay the price" for Iranian strikes that killed at least eight people in Israel in the night from Sunday to Monday. He later walked that back, saying the "price" was having to evacuate and that Israel had "no intention to physically harm the residents of Tehran". Iran meanwhile hinted it had yet to deploy its full arsenal in response to Israeli attacks. Brig Gen Yadollah Javani said Iranian Arash drones were being launched as well as long-range ballistic missiles, aiming to catch Israel by surprise. "We are still acting with restraint and have not used all our strength. But if necessary, we will enter the next stages," Iranian media quoted Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps official Mohsen Rezaei as saying. In Yemen, the chairman of the Houthi-run Supreme Political Council, Mahdi Al Mashat, declared the rebels' support for Iran. Israel said it was "pushing eastward" and would carry out more strikes as part of what it calls Operation Rising Lion, which aims to set back Iran's nuclear activities and stop it from developing an atomic bomb. A surprise attack began on Friday and killed several of Iran's most senior military figures. The Israeli army on Monday announced the killings of more Iranian targets, including IRGC intelligence chief Mohammed Kazemi and a deputy. Israel's attacks have also killed scientists and other figures allegedly linked to nuclear weapons development. Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tehran has "no intention of obtaining these weapons at all" but had the "right to benefit from nuclear energy". A UN watchdog holding an emergency meeting on Monday has accused Iran of stockpiling uranium at near weapons-grade levels. Calls for calm The latest escalation came despite urgent calls for calm from world leaders, including members of the G7 holding a summit in Canada. The powerful group of nations share a "consensus for de-escalation" but were still discussing "how it is to be brought about", said British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Russia 's Foreign Ministry said it was in contact with Iran and Israel, although European figures were quick to reject the idea of Moscow being a mediator. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he too was ready to be a facilitator of peace talks. The UN nuclear watchdog warned of a radiation and chemical leak at the Natanz nuclear facility, which Israel said it had destroyed. Israeli army spokesman Effie Defrin said about 120 Iranian missile launchers had also been destroyed, amounting to about a third of Iran's stockpile. "At this time, we can say that we have achieved full aerial superiority over Tehran's skies," said Brig Gen Defrin. The army said it had struck several lorries carrying weapons and surface-to-air missile launchers that were driving from western Iran towards Tehran. As tensions soared, Iran said it had hanged an alleged Israeli spy arrested in 2023 on charges of working for Mossad. Iranian police chief Ahmad-Reza Radan said several more alleged spies had been detained. Neighbouring countries watched warily as missile strikes lit up the sky. 'With each passing day, this conflict inches us closer to our worst nightmare: being dragged into this,' an Iraqi diplomat told The National. He said Iraq had "made it clear to the Iranians" that any attacks on US troops would only complicate the situation. One Tehran-backed faction in Iraq, known as the True Promise Corps, meanwhile said on Monday that it would launch attacks against Israel. Pakistan announced the indefinite closure of all border crossings with Iran. The president of Germany's central bank, Joachim Nagel, said a prolonged conflict "could cause a sharp rise in oil prices" and "upset our forecasts" for inflation and growth.
