Source: Iraqi leaders mediate Al-Zaidi–Kataib Hezbollah dispute
Shafaq News- Baghdad
National Wisdom (Al-Hikma) Movement leader Ammar Al-Hakim and Islamic Supreme Council leader Humam Hamoudi have begun mediating between Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi and Iran-aligned Kataib Hezbollah to avert a potential armed confrontation, an informed political source told Shafaq News on Sunday.
The initiative has the backing of all parties within the Shiite Coordination Framework, the source said.
Al-Zaidi cancelled three leases at Mosul International Airport that were signed with companies linked to armed groups, according to an informed source and contract documents obtained by Shafaq News on Saturday, with the prime minister ordering the contracts, which cover the airport’s check-in counters, internal car park and taxi office, to be reassigned to international firms.
Kataib Hezbollah denied allegations that it controlled airport contracts and called on the Integrity Commission to investigate the finances of Hassan Al-Zaidi, the prime minister’s brother. The faction also criticized Al-Zaidi’s stance toward the “Islamic Resistance” and alleged that intermediaries who handled donations for armed groups still owed $5 million.
