(HorizonPost.com) – The Iranian-backed Iraqi umbrella group Islamic Resistance in Iraq claimed in late June that it attacked the southern port city of Eilat in Israel as part of a joint operation with the Houthi rebels in Yemen who attacked a ship in the Gulf of Aden the same day.
The group warned in early July that it was prepared to fight if Israel launched a war against Hezbollah in Lebanon.
A commander with the Islamic Resistance in Iraq told the French outlet AFP that the group had sent advisors and experts to Lebanon and armed groups in Iraq and the surrounding region were ready to enter the conflict if Israel’s fight against Hezbollah escalated into full-scale war.
Since Israel launched its retaliation on Hamas last October, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq has stepped up its drone strikes and rocket attacks against US military facilities in Syria and Iraq. During the winter months, the group launched over 175 attacks on US military personnel.
The group, which includes the Hezbollah Brigades, the Sayyid al-Shuhada Brigades, and Al Nujaba, warned that if Israel followed through on the threat of a “total war against Lebanon,” the scale of Islamic Resistance in Iraq’s operations against Israel and US interests in the region would “intensify.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in late June that as the operation in Gaza winds down, Israel could send additional troops to the north to confront Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Israel launched airstrikes on southern Syria late last month which caused “material damage,” according to Syrian state-run media.
Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah in Lebanon told AFP that the Iranian-backed militant group had more than enough “human resources” to meet its needs “and the imperatives of the front,” even if Israel did launch a full-scale war.
Lebanese media claimed last Friday that the Islamic Resistance in Iran launched three cruise missiles and drones at Israel to avenge the deaths of Hamas officials killed by the IDF.
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