Iraq

Spotlight on Iran and the Shiite Axis (August 28 – September 4 , 2024)

Senior Iranian officials condemned the IDF’s activity in Judea and Samaria and accused Israel of striving to expand the scope of the “killings and crimes” against the Palestinians; Senior Iranian officials continued to threaten to respond to the killing of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran but stressed that the response would be calculated and would not play into Israel’s hands; Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met in Tehran with Hezbollah’s representative in Iran. The meeting took place as part of the new foreign minister’s ongoing efforts to reaffirm Iran’s continued support for its proxies amidst the backdrop of the change of government in Tehran; The Islamic Resistance in Iraq claimed responsibility for two drone attacks against targets in the Haifa area. The IDF Spokesperson reported the downing of UAVs approaching Israel from the direction of Syria and the east; The Houthis claimed responsibility for two attacks against vessels in the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea. Hits were reported, but there were no casualties. There are delays at the start of the rescue operation of the tanker MV Sounion, which is on fire in the Red Sea after being hit in a Houthi attack. According to the Houthi leader, preparations are ongoing for a retaliation against Israel, and the Houthis also intend to increase their activities in support of the Palestinians. Read more...

Spotlight on Iran and the Shiite Axis (August 21-28, 2024)

The new Iranian foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, spoke with a senior Hamas figure and stressed that Iran would support any agreement to end the war in the Gaza Strip that would be acceptable to the Palestinians and the “resistance”; Senior Iranian officials once again threatened to retaliate for the killing of Ismail Haniyeh, the head of Hamas’ political bureau, in Tehran. However, they stressed that Iran would respond in a time and manner that would not disrupt the talks to achieve a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip; Iran praised Hezbollah's retaliation for the killing of Fuad Shukr in Beirut. The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman described Hezbollah's action as a clear indication of a shift in the strategic balance, now working against Israel; The Islamic Resistance in Iraq claimed responsibility for two drone attacks against “vital targets” in Haifa. The claims have not been verified. The pro-Iranian militias are preparing to escalate their attacks against Israel as well as against American bases in the region; The Houthis claimed responsibility for attacking two vessels in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. A Greek oil tanker caught fire following the attack and began leaking oil. All crew members were evacuated safely; Houthi sources reported that the preparation of the target bank for the expected attack against Israel due to the attack against the port of al-Hudaydah had been completed and that the Houthis were also expected to participate in the responses of the “axis of resistance” to the killing of Haniyeh and Shukr. Read more...

Spotlight on Iran (August 14-21, 2024)

Senior Iranian officials continued to warn of Iran’s intention to retaliate for the killing of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, stressing that there was no direct connection between the negotiations for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the right of Iran to retaliate against Israel. However, it is evident that the Iranian threats of direct military attack against Israel have decreased and that Iran is also examining other response options.; A senior officer in the IRGC’s aerospace arm, who served as an Iranian military advisor in Syria, died of his wounds after apparently being wounded in an airstrike by US-led coalition forces in Syria at the end of July 2024; The Iranian embassy in Lebanon referred to a video released by Hezbollah documenting an underground facility for storing precision missiles and heavy rockets and threatened that Iran also had the ability to attack its enemies from any point in its territory.; Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant issued seizure orders for 18 oil tankers linked to Iran, used to finance the Qods Force and Hezbollah; The Islamic Resistance in Iraq announced two drone attacks against targets in the Golan Heights and Eilat for the first time since July 24, 2024. The claims have not been verified; Gunmen attacked an oil tanker in the Red Sea. There were reportedly no casualties, but fire broke out and the crew lost control of the tanker; The Houthi leader threatened that the “axis of resistance” would inevitably retaliate against Israel, despite the delays. Read more...

Spotlight on Iran (July 31—August 7 , 2024)

During the past week, senior Iranian officials continued to threaten a harsh response to the killing of Ismail Haniyeh, head of Hamas’ political bureau, in Tehran. At the same time, Iran held intensive diplomatic contacts, in which it stressed its right to attack Israel in response to Haniyeh’s killing. The acting Iranian foreign minister met in Hamas’ office in Tehran with the Hamas representative in Iran and stressed that Iran intended to respond decisively to the attack on Haniyeh; Amid Iranian threats of retaliation against Israel, the secretary of Russia’s National Security Council visited Iran and met with the president, the secretary of the National Security Council, and the chief of staff of the armed forces. Russia has reportedly begun transferring air defense systems to Iran; The Islamic Resistance in Iraq and the Houthis continued talks with Iran and other members of the “axis of resistance” to coordinate the joint response against Israel following the killing of Fuad Shukr and Ismail Haniyeh; “Security sources” confirmed that a Houthi officer responsible for coordination with the Islamic Resistance in Iraq had been killed along with four Iraqi militia members in the US attack on a Popular Mobilization headquarters; Rockets were fired at an American base in western Iraq, wounding five American soldiers and two defense contractors. A pro-Iranian militia claimed responsibility for the attack; The Houthis claimed responsibility for an attack on a vessel in the Gulf of Aden. The claim has not been verified. The Houthis shot down a US drone, the seventh since the beginning of the conflict in October 2023. Read more...

Spotlight on Iran (July 24 – 31, 2024)

Iranian leaders condemned the attack in which the head of Hamas’ political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, was killed in Tehran. Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said that “the criminal and terrorist Zionist regime prepared the ground through this operation for a heavy punishment for it"; The Iranian Foreign Ministry condemned the killing of senior Hezbollah operative Fouad Shukr in Lebanon. Senior Iranian officials warned an Israeli offensive initiative will lead to unexpected and severe consequences and expand the war in the region; Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian held a series of meetings with senior members of the “axis of resistance” who came to Tehran to participate in his swearing-in ceremony; The Shiite pro-Iranian militias in Iraq continue their preparations for the possibility of a war between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon; The US attacked a base of pro-Iranian Shiite militias in Iraq, killing at least four. Previously, American bases in Iraq and Syria had been attacked. There were no casualties; Senior Houthi officials continued to threaten retaliation against Israel following the attack on the port of al-Hudaydah. Read more...

Spotlight on Iran (July 17 – 24, 2024)

Iran’s Supreme Leader declared at a meeting with the president-elect and members of the Iranian Majles that Gaza remained the first priority issue of the Muslim world. The Supreme Leader’s senior military said that if millions of Shiite pilgrims turned to Jerusalem to liberate “Palestine,” Israel would not be able to resist them. Iranian President-elect Masoud Pezeshkian praised the Palestinians’ “resistance” against Israel and stressed Iran’s continued support for the Palestinian people; Iran’s acting foreign minister warned at a UN Security Council meeting that any attack on Lebanon would be met with a “decisive and regret-inducing” response; Iran strongly condemned the Israeli attack in Yemen; As the conflict between the Houthis and Israel escalated, the Houthis threatened to retaliate strongly against military targets in Israel. “Sources” said attacks would be carried out in cooperation with the “axis of resistance” and would be directed at Israeli ports and energy sites. At the same time, the Houthis continued to report attacks against vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden; The Islamic Resistance in Iraq claimed responsibility for four attacks against targets in Israel. The IDF Spokesperson confirmed that two UAVs had been intercepted on their way to Israel from the east. Read more...

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Iraq

The Republic of Iraq (الجمهورية العراقية – Al-Jumhūrīyya Al-‘Irāqīyya) borders with Turkey in the north, Syria and Jordan in the west, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait in the south, and Iran in the east. Iraq has a population of over 31 million, the vast majority of whom are Arabs (97% Muslim, 65% Shiite and 35% Sunni). In northeastern Iraq there is an autonomous Kurdish entity known as Iraqi Kurdistan. There are no relations between the State of Israel and Iraq, and Iraq refuses to recognize Israel.

After the Iraq war, the country was run by a coalition of countries that had invaded Iraq, headed by the United States. In 2005, civilian control was transferred to the interim Iraqi government that was appointed after a general election for a temporary parliament, which was held for the first time in the history of Iraq. In 2006, a permanent Shiite government was formed, and thus a change of government took place in Iraq, which had been in the hands of the Sunnis up to that time. In December 2011, the last American soldiers stationed in Iraq left the country.

After the fall of Saddam Hussein, a branch of Al-Qaeda was established in Iraq, headed by Abu Mus’ab al-Zarqawi. This branch later evolved into ISIS. This branch, which enjoyed widespread support among the Sunni population in Iraq, carried out terrorist attacks directed against Shiite civilians and against the Iraqi regime. In 2014, in the city of Mosul, ISIS declared the establishment of an Islamic Caliphate and took control of vast areas in western and northwestern Iraq, with the intention of taking control of the Iraqi capital Baghdad as well. In the years that followed, through efforts by the Iraqi security forces and local militias supported by the United States, these areas were liberated and ISIS slowly began to lose its power.