Exclusive: Al Qods chief Qassem Soleimani arrived in Baghdad on Monday, Sept. 16, two days after Iran’s cruise-missile drone attack on Saudi oil, DEBKAfile’s military and intelligence sources report. Accompanied by his operational staff, the IRGC general was quickly closeted with three heads of pro-Iranian Iraqi Shiite militias and former Iraqi prime minister Nuri al-Maliki.Our sources reveal their two subjects of discussion:
- The Iraqi militias’ response in the event of a US and/or Saudi assault on Iran in retaliation for its attacks on major Saudi oil facilities on Saturday.
- The military action the Iraqi militias would take against Israel as payback for its constant air and missile strikes against Iran’s bases in Syria and Iraq.
Our sources name the militia leaders in talks with Soleimani as Hadi al-Amiri, former chief of the Badr Brigades, Falah al-Fayyad, supreme commander of the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) and his deputy Abu Mahdi Muhandis. Al Maliki, a highly influential figure in Iraq’s Shiite south, warned Israel in late August that of “a strong response” if it continued to attack Iranian targets.
Soleimani’s consultations in Baghdad continue at present. They run parallel to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s talks in Jeddah with Saudi royal leaders on how to respond to the crippling attacks on their oil infrastructure.
