Senior Members Of Iran-Backed Militias In Iraq: The Assassinations Of Axis Of Resistance Officials Are 'A Declaration Of War On All Muslims;' The Muslim Peoples Must 'Respond And Attack Everyone Who Assisted'

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Following a series of late-July 2024 assassinations of senior members of Hamas, Hizbullah, and the Iran-backed Iraqi Hizbullah Brigades militia in Iran, Lebanon, and Iraq, respectively,[1] senior members of Iran-backed Iraqi militias asserted that these operations were a violation of the rules of the game and "a declaration of war against all Muslims." They called on the Muslim peoples "to attack anyone who supported or assisted in these attacks," and threatened a "staggering response" similar to the Iranian missile and drone attack on Israel on April 13, 2024. The same officials described the U.S. as "an active and direct partner" in the "crimes" of Israel, and threatened that in the near future "an appropriate decision [will be made] to bring an end to the American occupation" of Iraq. It is notable that according to a July 30 article in the pro-Hizbullah Lebanese Al-Akhbar daily, "the popular resistance factions" in Iraq and in Syria resumed their attacks on U.S. bases due to the Americans' perceived lack of seriousness in setting a deadline to withdraw forces from Iraq.[2]

The following is a review of the statements issued by the Iran-backed Iraqi militias on July 31, 2024:

Muhammad Al-Tamimi, the secretary-general of the Iran-backed Iraqi militia Faylaq Al-Wa'd Al-Sadeq (The True Promise Corps), posted an official statement on his Telegram channel in which he claimed that with its recent assassination operations the enemy "officially declared war on all Muslims, and particularly on the Islamic resistance." He wrote, "The red lines have been crossed, and there is no room now for diplomatic efforts." He exhorted the senior Shi'ite clerics in Iraq "to declare jihad to banish the occupation from our land," as they did in the past against the Islamic State (ISIS). He further called on all "the factions" in Iraq, Yemen, Syria, and Lebanon, as well as on all the Muslim peoples, "to respond and to attack anyone who supported or assisted with these attacks, whether it is a military base or a government – they are our targets and we will destroy them. We will not grant them a moment of peace in any place, whether in the sky or on the ground. We will show them hell, not only to avenge the martyrs but also to defend our religion and our principles. The aggressor embassies have become military bases and not diplomatic missions. The government must get rid of these nests of intelligence, and if it doesn't have the power then we will do it."[3]

During a speech he gave at a religious event held by his organization, Abu Alaa Al-Walai, the leader of the Iran-backed Sayyid Al-Shuhada Brigades militia, stated that the resistance had granted the Iraqi government time to take diplomatic measures to end "the foreign occupation" of the country, mainly by the Americans. However, he claimed, "each time the occupation proved that it is dishonest and does not keep its word." He also said that "the Iraqi resistance will make the appropriate decision to bring an end to the matter of the American occupation as soon as possible."

Referring to the recent assassinations, Al-Walai declared, "The unity of the fronts is not just a concept but an irrefutable fact." He further stated, "The operations of the Iraqi resistance have moved through three stages: attacking the occupation in Iraq; an attack deep inside the oppressive entity; and high-quality joint operations with [the Houthi] Ansar Allah [movement]. Now that the enemy has broken all the rules of the game there is a fourth stage and another True Promise [Operation, the Iranian name for Iran's April 13 attack against Israel] only this time the response to the response will be staggering… If Haniyeh has become a martyr, another hundred like him will arise; if Muhsin has become a martyr, another thousand like him will arise; and if a PMU operative has become a martyr indeed there are thousands more awaiting their turn for martyrdom."

Al-Walai also asserted that the resistance is closely following "the levels of cooperation of the Arab regimes of collaboration and normalization [with the operations of the enemy]," and warned them not to allow "the occupation" to use their airspace to attack the countries in the region.[4]

On his Telegram account, Badr organization leader Hadi Al-Amiri, who also heads a pro-Iran parliamentary bloc in the Iraqi government, related to Haniyeh's assassination in Tehran and wrote, "The loathsome Zionist-American aggression continues in a series of its crimes while exceeding all limits and violating all norms." He expressed his condolences to the senior officials in the Islamic axis of resistance and to its operatives, and to the "mujahid Palestinian people." He reiterated that he holds the U.S. responsible for the continuation of "the criminal activity of the Zionist entity" and asserted that "it is an active and direct partner in all the crimes of this detested entity."[5]