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On January 7, 2024, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an Iran-backed joint operations group of Iraqi militias, claimed responsibility for an attack on "a vital target in occupied Haifa," during the preceding days, with "an Al-Aqrab missile, an enhanced long-range cruise missile." On the following day, Husayn Al-Mousawi, the spokesman for the Iran-backed Iraqi Al-Nujaba Movement militia, declared that the operation carried a message to Israel that the axis of resistance is not reneging on its strategic goals in the region. He further stated that the aim is "to disrupt the American plan in the region."
The following are translated excerpts from the reports referred to above:
On January 7, 2023, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq issued an official statement on its Telegram channel in which it claimed responsibility for an attack on the northern Israeli city of Haifa, asserting that it was carried out "in support of our people in Gaza and in response to the massacres by the oppressive entity against Palestinian civilians, among them children, women and the elderly." The group vowed to continue "to crush the strongholds of the enemy."[1] The post was accompanied by a short videoclip that shows the launch of a missile from an unknown location, in the dark.[2]
The following day, Al-Mousawi told the Iranian state-run Al-'Alam news website that the attack on Haifa carried a message to Israel that the axis of resistance isn't reneging on its strategic goals in the region "and can reach the most distant regions." He stated that this operation is part of "a comprehensive system of confrontation with operations carried out by the Israeli entity and the U.S.," and added that the aim of the resistance is "to disrupt the American plan in the region and to dissipate the efforts of the occupation in Gaza." He also asserted that the resistance is capable of waging this battle for a long time.[3]
Husayn Al-Mousawi, the spokesman for the Iran-backed Iraqi Al-Nujaba Movement (Source: Alalam.ir, January 8, 2024)
It is notable that the Islamic Resistance in Iraq has claimed responsibility in the past for attacks on a series of Israeli targets, such as: the Dead Sea coast, on November 2, 2023;[4] the Mediterranean Sea, in mid-December 2023;[5] "the occupied Golan," three times, between December 2023 and January 2024;[6] and the city of Eilat in southern Israel, several times, in November and December 2023.[7]
[1] Telegram, January 7, 2024.
[2] Telegram, January 7, 2024.
[3] January 8, 2024.
[4] See MEMRI JTTM Report: Iran-Backed 'Islamic Resistance In Iraq' Claims Attack Against Israeli Target On Dead Sea Coastline, November 2, 2023.
[5] See MEMRI JTTM Report: 'Islamic Resistance In Iraq' Claims Attacking Israeli City Of Eilat, 'Vital Target In Mediterranean Sea', December 24, 2023.
[6] See MEMRI JTTM Report: Iran-Backed Islamic Resistance In Iraq Claims Attacks On U.S. Base In Northeastern Syria, Moshav In Golan, 'Israeli Espionage' Center In Iraq, December 28, 2023; Telegram.me/elamharbi, December 31, 2023; and January 7, 2024.
[7] See for example MEMRI JTTM Reports: Iran-Backed 'Islamic Resistance In Iraq' Claims Attack Against Israeli Target In Eilat, November 3, 2023; Islamic Resistance In Iraq Claims Attacking U.S. Bases In Iraq, Syria, Israeli City Of Eilat; New Unknown Group 'SWAT Of The Arabian Peninsula' Claims Attacking Eilat With Two Suicide Drones, November 12, 2023; and Iran-Backed Islamic Resistance In Iraq Claims Series Of Rocket, Drone Attacks On U.S. Bases In Eastern Syria, Northern Iraq; Alleges It Is Targeting Sites In Israel's Eilat, Golan Heights Using Undisclosed Weaponry, January 2, 2024.
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