Iraqi militias aligned with the Islamic Republic have reached an agreement with authorities in Baghdad to discontinue attacks on Israel, according to a report by al-Akhbar.
The Lebanon-based Hezbollah-affiliated newspaper stated the decision was made due to concerns that continued assaults on the Jewish state by the Islamic Resistance in Iraq could destabilize the government of Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani, especially in light of the ongoing tensions in the region.
In addition to suspending the hostilities, the militants have agreed to avoid engaging their forces in Syria, as the war-ravaged country undergoes a political transition following the December 8 removal of its dictator Bashar al-Assad.
The IRI is a terrorist coalition of primarily Iran regime-funded Shia factions, including Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq, Harakat Ansar Allah al-Awfiya, Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba, Kata'ib Hezbollah, Kata'ib Sayyid al-Shuhada, and the al-Thawriyyun group.
Since November 2023, the IRI has launched dozens of drones and missiles into Israel and initiated at least 170 incursions against U.S. military installations across Iraq, Jordan, and Syria.
An Iraqi official revealed to al-Akhbar that the stand down efforts, led by al-Sudani, followed pressure from unnamed Western and Middle Eastern countries to disband and disarm the Islamist fighters.
Other factors likely contributing to the ceasefire include the heavy combat losses sustained by IRI allies Hamas and Hezbollah at the hands of the Israeli armed forces and the new Syrian leadership’s prohibition of Islamic Republic-supported organizations operating in its territory.
One unnamed commander from Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba voiced reservations about January’s incoming White House administration, disclosing to al-Akhbar that he was "waiting to understand the orientations of the U.S. President-elect, Donald Trump, and his policy towards the Middle East, specifically Iran."
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