The US State Department noted that the group is an “Iraq-based Iran-aligned militia group and part of the ‘Islamic Resistance in Iraq (IRI).’” The Islamic Resistance has often targeted Israel throughout the conflict with Hamas. This is one of the numerous Iranian proxies that have been attacking Israel using drone threats and more recently, the attempted use of cruise missiles. The IRI is an umbrella group for a large number of Iranian-backed militias in Iraq.
The US calls the IRI “a front group that includes multiple Iran-aligned terrorist and militia groups, including U.S.-designated terrorist organizations Kata’ib Hizballah, Harakat al-Nujaba, and Kata’ib Sayyid al-Shuhada, that have repeatedly attacked Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS forces in Iraq and Syria.”
Attacks on US forces
Kataib Hezbollah was responsible for the attack on US forces in Jordan in January that killed three US personnel. The Iranian-backed groups in Iraq carried out more than 100 attacks on US forces in Iraq and Syria from October through January. In recent months it appears these groups have reduced their threats to US forces, but they have increased their threats to Israel.
The US State Department says that HAAA was involved in the attack on US forces in Jordan. “Additionally, HAAA has publicly threatened to continue attacking U.S. interests in the region. HAAA has also terrorized the Iraqi people. The United States remains committed to using all available tools to counter Iran’s support for terrorism and to degrade and disrupt the ability of Iran-backed groups to conduct terrorist attacks.” READ MORE
