Signs of operational coordination between Iranian terrorist designated Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) proxies in Yemen and IRGC-backed militias in Iraq are further undermining the security of the Gulf states and the region.
A fresh wave of violence directed at the United Arab Emirates (UAE) kicked off in January with a volley of drone and missile attacks originating in Yemen that were claimed by IRGC-backed militias in Yemen, the Houthis.
Now, a new group has entered the fray.
On February 2, Emirati forces intercepted and destroyed “hostile drones” targeting the UAE. A shadowy Iraqi militia linked to Iran calling itself Alwiyat al-Waad al-Haq claimed the attack, in a statement circulated by Iran’s proxies.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree later “congratulated” Alwiyat al-Waad al-Haq for the operation, and senior Houthi official Mohammed Ali al-Houthi praised the attackers in a message on Twitter, before deleting the post.
Iran’s proxies are coordinating their operations to harm regional and Gulf security on the direct orders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ extraterritorial operations arm, the Quds Force (IRGC-QF), said military analyst Jalil Khalaf al-Muhammadawi.
“The attacks against the UAE and, before that, Saudi Arabia, clearly demonstrate that,” al-Muhammadawi says.
Iran’s proxies “receive support, funding and weapons from the Iranians to continue their terrorist and subversive activities in the region”, he said.
The lawless Iraqi militias are not concerned with Iraq’s interests, he added, or the serious harm that their attacks on foreign nations cause to the country’s reputation and to its regional and international relations.
There was public outcry in Iraq following Alwiyat al-Waad al-Haq’s claim of responsibility for the latest attack on the UAE.
Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr denounced the attacks and made it clear that he rejects the attempts to plunge Iraq into a “dangerous regional war”.
In a statement, he stressed the importance of not allowing Iraq to be used as a launchpad for attacks on neighbouring countries and the region, calling on the government to deal firmly with those who seek to plunge Iraq into such conflicts.
“Iraq needs peace and prestige, and not to be subservient to orders from the outside,” he said, in reference to the militias’ loyalty to Iran.
The Iran-aligned Iraqi militias are driven by their failure to achieve political gains after the recent parliamentary elections, said political analyst Ahmed Shawki.
Source » iranbriefing