NEW CONFLICT: đ„
ERBIL, Kurdistan region - A powerful pro-Iranian Iraqi armed group urged the Iraqi government on Sunday to close the American embassy and expel American troops, threatening to strike American interests and personnel in Iraq if Washington intervened in the conflict between Israel and Iran.
In a statement, Kataib Hezbollah said it was closely monitoring the movements of American forces and warned that any American intervention in the conflict would prompt the group to directly target American interests and military bases throughout the region. The group also expressed its unwavering support for Iran's stance against what it termed 'Zionist aggression'.
'It is the duty of the Iraqi government, the brothers of the Coordination Framework, and sincere leaders to assume their responsibilities and take a courageous stance to prevent the expansion of the war zone by closing the embassy of the great satan [the United States] and expelling the American occupying forces from the country,' it emphasized, labeling the United States as the most dangerous threat to the stability of the region.
Kataib Hezbollah is part of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a network of Iranian-backed underground Iraqi militias affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of Iran.
Tensions between Tehran and Tel Aviv reached a boiling point on Friday when Israel targeted nuclear and military facilities in Iran. Since then, the two countries have engaged in exchanges of fire.
The Israeli attack was the culmination of numerous reports of a potential Israeli strike against Iran and came after the U.S. State Department announced a reduction of its diplomatic missions in Iraq and several countries in the Middle East.