BAGHDAD, Iraq: As the war in Gaza intensifies and risks spreading to Lebanon, Iraqi militant groups have declared their readiness to intervene against Israel and the United States.
A commander from the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, speaking anonymously to news agency, emphasized a strategy of “escalation for escalation” if full-scale war breaks out in Lebanon. The group has already dispatched “experts and advisors” to Lebanon.
Iraqi political scientist Ali al-Baidar predicts that a major conflict between Israel and Hezbollah would extend beyond Lebanon, drawing in armed groups from Iraq and the region. These groups aim to demonstrate their capabilities and loyalty to their allies.
The current conflict, the bloodiest ever in Gaza, began on October 7 when Hamas attacked southern Israel. The situation has since expanded, involving groups from the “Axis of Resistance,” which includes Hezbollah, Yemen’s Houthi, and armed factions in Syria and Iraq. The Islamic Resistance in Iraq has claimed responsibility for several drone strikes on Israeli targets, some conducted jointly with the Houthis. While the Israeli army has confirmed several attacks from the east, all were intercepted before reaching Israeli airspace.
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq has a history of launching attacks, notably more than 175 rocket and drone strikes against US troops in Iraq and Syria last winter. Recently, the Coordination of the Iraqi Resistance threatened increased operations against Israel and the US if Israel proceeds with a total war against Lebanon. They warned that American interests in Iraq and the region would also become legitimate targets. This coalition includes groups like the Hezbollah Brigades, Al-Nujaba, and the Sayyed al-Shuhada Brigades, all of which are under US sanctions.
Al-Baidar warns of potential repeat attacks against American forces and diplomatic missions in Iraq, possibly with greater intensity. In January, a drone strike by Iraqi groups killed three US soldiers in Jordan, prompting a lethal US response against pro-Iran factions.
The US, with 2,500 troops in Iraq and 900 in Syria, has vowed to retaliate if attacked again, emphasizing the threat to Iraq’s sovereignty from militias.
Many Iraqi fighters, veterans of Iraq’s recent wars and the Syrian civil war, are stationed near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Tamer Badawi, an Iraq specialist, highlights the symbolic significance of coordinated attacks by Iraqi groups and the Houthis, demonstrating their ability to synchronize actions against a common enemy.
The scale of any Iraqi intervention in Lebanon would depend on Hezbollah’s needs, focusing on projecting transnational solidarity as much as on active combat involvement.
While analysts suggest that Israel, Hezbollah, and Iran are wary of a full-scale war in Lebanon, they caution against miscalculations that could dangerously escalate tensions. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah recently downplayed the need for external fighters, asserting that Lebanon’s resistance already has sufficient manpower for even the worst fighting conditions.
