Kataib Hezbollah accuses al-Zaidi of enabling strikes in Iraq

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Kataib Hezbollah, an Iran-aligned armed faction, on Wednesday held Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi "fully responsible" for any attack on its positions or on Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) brigades, accusing him of using part of Iraq's security services to gather intelligence for Washington, which it said shares the information with Israel to carry out strikes inside Iraq with his knowledge.

The group will not abandon its positions under any international or local pressure, its security official, Abu Mujahid al-Asafi, said in a statement, describing its weapons as a doctrinal and moral matter. "The enemy will not obtain any concession from us, even if we are cut to pieces," he said.

Kataib Hezbollah also pledged to defend Iran and prevent its isolation, to champion the Palestinian cause and Al-Aqsa Mosque, and to stand with its allies in Yemen and Lebanon "to the last breath."

Allegations Over Wealth And Contracts

Al-Asafi urged the Federal Integrity Commission to investigate al-Zaidi's wealth, alleging that it amounted to 21 trillion dinars (about $13.8 billion) and claiming that the prime minister had acknowledged the figure at a Coordination Framework meeting.

He renewed the group’s call on lawmakers to investigate ration card deals and food supply contracts for the Iraqi army. He sought a probe into a partnership contract with ADNOC that the faction alleged involved al-Zaidi's brother, Hassan al-Zaidi, US envoy Tom Barrack and UAE National Security Adviser Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed.

Al-Asafi dismissed the government's plan to distribute one million residential plots and one million farms as a "deception," warning that Iraqis would end up blaming lawmakers rather than al-Zaidi, "because he will simply return with his family to Dubai."

Turning to the Coordination Framework, the alliance of Shiite parties that dominates the government, he said its members do not need to express surprise in the media at al-Zaidi's part in the “blockade" of Iran. They could simply have told him they rejected it, he said, referring to the prime minister as their "authorized director."

Mounting Tensions

Relations between Al-Zaidi and Kataib Hezbollah have deteriorated recently. Talks on disarming armed factions have reached a near-deadlock, with Kataib Hezbollah among the groups refusing to give up their weapons and the factions intensifying their criticism of the prime minister.

Friction deepened after Al-Zaidi cancelled three leases at Mosul International Airport signed with companies linked to armed groups and ordered them reassigned to international firms, according to an informed source and contract documents obtained by Shafaq News. Kataib Hezbollah responded by urging the Integrity Commission to examine the finances of Hassan Al-Zaidi, the prime minister's brother, and denied controlling contracts at Iraqi airports.

A senior Kataib Hezbollah security official had earlier warned that Al-Zaidi's government would be toppled "by all means" if it failed to serve Iraqis. Su’ud Al-Saadi has separately challenged the government's dinar devaluation before the Federal Supreme Court.

National Wisdom Movement leader Ammar Al-Hakim and Islamic Supreme Council leader Humam Hamoudi have begun mediating between Al-Zaidi and Kataib Hezbollah to avert a potential armed confrontation, another source familiar with the matter told Shafaq News.

Read more: Kataib Hezbollah tensions delay Coordination Framework meeting with al-Zaidi