Iran-backed militias strike back at US, Israel in solidarity with Iran

BAGHDAD, Iraq (MNTV) — Armed groups aligned with Iran have stepped up retaliatory strikes against the United States and Israel as the war between Tehran and the US–Israeli alliance widens, drawing additional actors into an increasingly volatile confrontation.

Security analysts say Iraq has become a central arena in the shadow conflict, with Iran-linked militias launching dozens of drone and missile strikes since the fighting began last weekend.

Many of the attacks have targeted Israeli territory as well as US military facilities in Iraq and neighboring Jordan. Militias operating in Iraq’s south have also attempted strikes against other regional locations, including a missile launch directed toward Kuwait.

Officials say Iraqi security forces recently intercepted a mobile missile launcher in Basra province that was reportedly preparing to fire toward a neighboring country.

The equipment was seized before the missiles could be launched, according to the country’s state news agency.

The escalation comes as Washington and Tel Aviv attempt to weaken Iran’s network of allied armed groups across the region after bombing civilian infrastructure in Iran.

Analysts and former intelligence officials say both countries have carried out airstrikes and covert operations aimed at infrastructure and leadership positions in Iraq.

The militias involved are largely composed of fighters from Iraq’s majority Shia population and operate in alliance with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Several factions have claimed responsibility for drone strikes against a US military facility at Erbil airport in northern Iraq. Other drones and missiles have reportedly been launched from remote areas in western Iraq toward targets in Jordan.

In a joint statement issued this week, a coalition of Iran-aligned militias warned European countries against joining the war, threatening that their forces and installations across Iraq and the wider region could become targets.

Israeli military officials confirmed that drones had been launched toward Israel from Iraqi territory but described the number of attacks as limited.

Meanwhile, militia facilities inside Iraq have also come under mysterious strikes in what analysts believe may be covert operations.

Small explosive drones have hit bases south of Baghdad and near the cities of Nasiriyah and Basra, reportedly killing at least 15 fighters, most of them members of the powerful Kataib Hezbollah faction.

The group later confirmed that one of its senior commanders was killed in a strike on a vehicle near its base in southern Iraq. Two other fighters were also killed in the same incident.

Multiple explosions have also been reported at militia facilities in Iraq’s western Anbar province and at the group’s Jurf al-Nasr base south of Baghdad, which has been repeatedly targeted since the conflict began.

Adding to the confusion, several unexplained blasts have reportedly disabled radar systems used by the Iraqi government to monitor civilian air traffic. Intelligence sources in Israel have said they could not confirm responsibility but acknowledged that Israeli or US covert involvement was “credible”.

Despite the growing escalation, some members of Iran’s so-called “axis of resistance,” including Hamas and Yemen’s Houthi movement, have so far played a limited role in the latest fighting.

Analysts say Tehran may be keeping some of these allies in reserve while assessing how the conflict evolves.

Meanwhile, reports have emerged of a new armed group called the “Ahwaz Falcons” claiming responsibility for an attack on an IRGC installation in the southwestern Iranian city of Ahvaz, suggesting that additional fronts in the conflict could soon emerge.