Again, U.S. Calls on Iraq to Stop Militia Attacks on Israel

Nov. 26, 2024

WASHINGTON DC, United States (Kurdistan 24) U.S. officials on Monday reiterated the need for the Baghdad government to exert control over the Iranian-backed militias in Iraq to stop their attacks on Israel—or face the consequences.

Those officials include the U.S. Ambassador to Iraq, Alina Romanowski, speaking in Baghdad, and the State Department Spokesman, Matthew Miller, speaking in Washington.

Saddam Hussein’s Precedent

The warnings follow two attacks on Israel on Sunday carried out by the so-called Islamic Resistance in Iraq (IRI.)

Those with long memories will recall that Saddam Hussein did much the same. He invaded Kuwait in August 1990 and portrayed it as an action that supported the Palestinians. Indeed, he was strongly backed by PLO head Yasir Arafat.

In January 1991, the U.S. led a coalition that ousted Iraqi forces from Kuwait. As that war proceeded, Saddam launched 39 missiles against Israel.

Somewhat surprisingly, no Iraqi media makes that observation: invoking the Palestinian cause is an easy way to gain support in the Middle East.

In this instance, it seems to be an Iranian ploy to destabilize Iraq and undermine the government in Baghdad, along with its ties with the U.S.

Read More: Militia Attacks Against US Forces Continue—But is Iran the Real Problem?

Amb. Alina Romanowski’s Warning

At a roundtable with Iraqi media on Monday, Romanowski told journalists, “I want to be very clear from the onset that the Israelis have issued deterrent warnings to Iran-backed militias based here in Iraq, which have been attacking Israel,” as Shafaq News reported. 

“Israel is a sovereign nation and will respond to any attacks against it from any location,” she warned, as she explained that the U.S. had consistently intervened, with both Israel and Iraq, to reduce tensions.

She called on the Baghdad government to assert control over the militias, affirming, “We strongly support the Iraqi government’s efforts to prevent any terrorist attacks emanating from its land against any nation.”

But it is questionable how effective the U.S. measures have been. Already last month, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, answering a reporter’s question at a conference in Laos, said, “Unfortunately, what we have is, among other things, a so-called axis of resistance led by Iran that looks to create other fronts in different places.”

“We’re working very hard through deterrence and through diplomacy to prevent that from happening,” Blinken added.

However, if anything, a month later such a conflict, appears more likely now, particularly after Israel’s letter to the Security Council last week, complaining about the attacks from the Iraqi militias, while affirming, “Israel has the inherent right to self-defense and to take all necessary measures to protect itself and its citizens against the ongoing acts of hostilities by Iranian-backed militias in Iraq.”

Read More: US Calls on Iraq to Halt Militia Attacks on Israel

In her meeting with reporters, Romanowski also welcomed a recent statement by Iraqi Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, which, as she summarized it, included “rejecting foreign interference in all forms”—i.e. Iran is behind the attacks of its proxies on Israel.

Sistani’s statement, as Romanowski described it, also supported “upholding the rule of law; restricting weapons to state control; combating corruption; and supporting the Iraqi government in these endeavors.”

“Grand Ayatollah Sistani reinforced this in his statement,” she added, “making it very clear that the Iraqi government and people do not want to be dragged into this conflict.”

State Department Spokesperson’s Warning

State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller spoke similarly at a press briefing on Monday. Asked about the Iraqi militia attacks, Miller responded, “Our position has been clear, that the Iran-aligned militia groups inside Iraq risk destabilizing Iraq.”

“They risk dragging the country into a regional war by conducting unsanctioned attacks, both within Iraq and outside of Iraq’s borders,” he continued. 

Miller’s mention of militia attacks within Iraq’s borders is, presumably, reference to attacks on U.S. forces carried out by the same militias.

“We have a strong security partnership with the Government of Iraq,” Miller affirmed, “and we have warned them about the dangers posed by armed groups acting independently and against Iraq’s interests, and we’ll continue to do so.”

The Baghdad government agrees with Washington. As Abdul Amir Thuaiban, an adviser to Prime Minister Sudani, told Reuters, “Those groups who have the rockets and the drones should go to Gaza and Lebanon to fight Israel, rather than pushing Iraq towards destruction.”

Read More: Washington to Baghdad: We’ll Help Prevent Israeli Attack in Retaliation for Militia Strikes

The Iraqi Prime Minister has, indeed, ordered a halt to the militia attacks. But the attacks do not stop. Possibly, the Iraqi government is not trying hard enough, but it appears more likely that it lacks the ability to do so. 

Little  has come of the efforts of the Iraqi government. Most recently, the Arab League held an emergency meeting on Sunday at its Cairo headquarters. It voted unanimously to back Baghdad, but the vote has had virtually no effect.

Trump Effect? 

But other factors may have a greater impact. Donald Trump is strongly hostile to Iran. He is also quite friendly toward Israel.. This is well-known and raises the possibility that if the conflict continues,Trump will unleash Israel, as he does not share the Biden administration’s concern about the dangers of escalation. 

Rather, Trump thinks in more conventional terms of deterrence: threaten your enemy with dire consequences and that will give him good reason not to attack you. 

The prospect of Trump returning to the presidency may already be having a calming effect in the Middle East. On Monday, U.S., Israeli, and Lebanese authorities all expressed a cautious optimism about prospects for a ceasefire between Israel and Hizbollah.

Andrew Bates, White House Deputy Press Secretary, told journalists on Monday that the administration would seek to leverage the prospect of an imminent cease-fire in Lebanon to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza between Israel and Hamas. 

Brett McGurk, National Security Council Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa, is  traveling to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday in an effort to advance a Gaza ceasefire.

Should those ceasefires actually come into effect, the Iraqi militias would no longer have an excuse to attack Israel, and, presumably, their assaults would stop.