The terrorist attack on Israel on October 7 and the war in Gaza have not only provoked declarations and demonstrations of support in Iraq for Hamas and the Palestinians, but have also increased terrorist activity by the pro-Iranian Shiite militias belonging to the so-called Coordination Framework – the political camp that provides the underlying support for the current Iraqi government. As part of this coordinated military response, shortly after the start of the war in Gaza and after the opening of the northern front by Hezbollah, the militias began to attack the bases of the anti-ISIS coalition forces led by the US in Iraq and Syria with rockets and UAVs (more than a hundred attacks in total), with the signature claiming responsibility bearing the name "Islamic Resistance in Iraq." Under this name, responsibility was also accepted for attacks directed against Israel, although there is no proof that these attacks actually took place.
This turn in the intermittent confrontation between the pro-Iranian militias and the US forces operating on Iraqi soil ends a year-long lull that began with the establishment of the current government, headed by Mohammed Shia al-Sudani. The war in Gaza has actually served as an excuse to renew the pressure intended to push the US military out of Iraq and Syria.
In response, the US military carried out two unusual attacks against facilities where these militias operate, in Baghdad and in another province, killing at least two of the top operatives in one of them. Prime Minister al-Sudani, who previously tried to maintain a balance between his political commitment to the Coordination Framework and a foreign policy that supports the continued activity of the coalition against ISIS and the presence of US forces, changed the tune of his statements. He first called the US attacks a violation of sovereignty, and then announced the formation of a committee to examine the implementation of the withdrawal of US forces from the country. However, in practice this is not currently a decree or legislation to implement the call for the withdrawal of US forces from Iraq.
An in-depth examination of the regional ramifications of the war reveals that the war challenges the internal security stability and even the rules of the political game and the policies of actors who hold power in the region’s countries. This is not the first time that Iraq has been caught up in a period of tension and security developments due to the influence of Iran and its proxies on the one hand, and the United States on the other. Here too, the war in Gaza has created a regional dynamic that has implications not only for what happens between countries, but also for respective internal processes, as is the case of Iraq.
The terrorist attack on Israel on October 7 and the war in Gaza have not only provoked declarations and demonstrations of support in Iraq for Hamas and the Palestinians, but have also increased terrorist activity by the pro-Iranian Shiite militias belonging to the so-called Coordination Framework – the political camp that provides the underlying support for the current Iraqi government. As part of this coordinated military response, shortly after the start of the war in Gaza and after the opening of the northern front by Hezbollah, the militias began to attack the bases of the anti-ISIS coalition forces led by the US in Iraq and Syria with rockets and UAVs (more than a hundred attacks in total), with the signature claiming responsibility bearing the name "Islamic Resistance in Iraq." Under this name, responsibility was also accepted for attacks directed against Israel, although there is no proof that these attacks actually took place.
This turn in the intermittent confrontation between the pro-Iranian militias and the US forces operating on Iraqi soil ends a year-long lull that began with the establishment of the current government, headed by Mohammed Shia al-Sudani. The war in Gaza has actually served as an excuse to renew the pressure intended to push the US military out of Iraq and Syria.
In response, the US military carried out two unusual attacks against facilities where these militias operate, in Baghdad and in another province, killing at least two of the top operatives in one of them. Prime Minister al-Sudani, who previously tried to maintain a balance between his political commitment to the Coordination Framework and a foreign policy that supports the continued activity of the coalition against ISIS and the presence of US forces, changed the tune of his statements. He first called the US attacks a violation of sovereignty, and then announced the formation of a committee to examine the implementation of the withdrawal of US forces from the country. However, in practice this is not currently a decree or legislation to implement the call for the withdrawal of US forces from Iraq.
An in-depth examination of the regional ramifications of the war reveals that the war challenges the internal security stability and even the rules of the political game and the policies of actors who hold power in the region’s countries. This is not the first time that Iraq has been caught up in a period of tension and security developments due to the influence of Iran and its proxies on the one hand, and the United States on the other. Here too, the war in Gaza has created a regional dynamic that has implications not only for what happens between countries, but also for respective internal processes, as is the case of Iraq.