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On July 8, 2024, the Qatari online daily Al-Arabi Al-Jadid reported that according to an unnamed Iraqi official source, Yemen's Iran-backed Ansar Allah Movement (Houthis) had opened, that same day, a headquarters in Baghdad. The outlet also cited Iraqi news reports confirming that the Houthis inaugurated what was described as a "representation office" in the Al-Jadriya neighborhood in Baghdad.[1]
The outlet explained that the move follows a "series of extensive public relations activities" conducted by the Houthi representative in Iraq, Abu Idris Al-Sharafi, and other Houthi officials who have been living in Iraq since 2016.
Houthi Representative Visits PMU Op Room
A Telegram channel affiliated with the Houthi office in Baghdad published, on July 4, a video that showed Abu Idris Al-Sharafi (on the right) standing with Nasr Al-Shammari, who oversees the Popular Moblization Units' (PMU) Baghdad Belt Operation Room. Al-Shammari is also the deputy secretary-general of the U.S. designated Iran-backed militias, the Al-Nujaba Movement.
In the video, the Houthi representative in Iraq indicated that he was visiting the headquarters of the PMU's Baghdad Belt Operation Room, and praised its leadership's support during what he described as "challenging times."
The Houthis and Iran-backed factions who are part of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq have been coordinating attacks against Israeli targets in support of Hamas's October 7 attack against Israel.
Representative Visits Shiite Tribes In Southern Iraq
Other videos posted on the channel document a series of visits by Al-Sharafi to Iraqi Shi'ite tribes in several major cities in southern Iraq.[2]
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