Iraqi Hezbollah not committed to end op. against US: Abu Ali Al-Askari

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Al Mayadeen
22 Aug 2024 07:01

The chief of Iraqi Hezbollah's security Bureau says that the British ambassador in Baghdad "has been and remains unwelcome."

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Member of the Iraqi Hezbollah Brigades holding the group's flag during a ceremony in Iraq in 2023 (AFP)

Abu Ali Al-Askari, the head of the Iraqi Hezbollah Brigades Security Bureau, declared on Wednesday that the group is not committed to halting operations against "US occupation forces in Iraq."

In a statement, Abu Ali al-Askari said that the "situation is subject to balances specific to the current phase," referring to the US presence and actions in Iraq.

His comments followed a statement made by an advisor in the Iraqi government to Lebanese Al-Akhbar newspaper, saying that a preliminary agreement had been reached between the prime minister, Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, and leaders of the Iraqi factions regarding a truce and refraining from targeting US interests at this time.

Regarding the British ambassador, al-Askari said that "the British ambassador in Baghdad, Stephen Hickey, has been and remains unwelcome."

He also warned US Ambassador Alina Romanowski against interfering in Iraq's affairs, emphasizing that "if the Iraqi government does not discipline the 'American Ambassador of Evil' in Baghdad, we will discipline her by other means."

The senior official in the Iraqi Hezbollah Brigades reiterated that the ongoing genocidal war against Gaza, which has persisted for more than 10 months, is primarily due to the unlimited military and political support provided by the United States and the UK to "Israel," stressing that their presence and malicious interference in Iraq pose a serious threat to the country and its beliefs.

'Not bound by any restrictions'

Earlier, the Iraqi Resistance Coordination Committee warned that it is "not bound by any restrictions" if "US occupation forces become involved again in targeting the people of Iraq or exploiting its airspace to carry out attacks against the Islamic Republic of Iran," emphasizing that its response at that time "will not be constrained."

The committee noted that this warning comes "amid the ongoing escalation of imperialist forces in their brutal and treacherous attacks against peoples and their resistance fighters."

The statement added that these forces "continue to support and protect the security of the Zionist entity at the expense of regional security, disregarding the sovereignty of Iraq and other countries opposing its criminal policies."

Additionally, the committee warned that "If the Zionists carry out an aggression against Lebanon, the interests of the US enemy in Iraq and the region will become legitimate targets."

The statement came as Iran and Hezbollah prepare to respond to the Israeli occupation's assassination of Hamas' political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and Resistance leader Sayyed Fouad Shokor in Beirut, a development that has put both "Israel" and its ally the United States on high alert over the past weeks.

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq announced on Tuesday attacking a "vital" Israeli target in occupied Umm al-Rashash [Eilat] using drones.

The group pointed out that the operation comes as part of its ongoing support to the Palestinian people in Gaza and their Resistance, affirming that the Resistance will continue its attacks on "enemy positions until the Israeli aggression on Gaza ceases."