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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.
