MESSAGE
| DATE | 2021-02-16 |
| FROM | Ruben Safir
|
| SUBJECT | Subject: [Hangout - NYLXS] Our Friends in Iran can smell blood in the water..
|
wsj.com
Shadow Network of Militias Backs Iran
Amira El-Fekki and Sune Engel Rasmussen
7-8 minutes
For decades, Iran has built and operated a network of loyal armed groups
around the Middle East that seek to expand Tehran’s military footprint
and gain political influence in the region.
These groups often operate under the direction of Iran’s Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps. Founded after the 1979 Islamic Revolution,
the Revolutionary Guard seeks to defend the Iranian state and advance
the model of Shiite Islam that underpinned the revolution.
This network of militias was long overseen by Maj. Gen. Qassem
Soleimani, the Iranian commander of the Guards’ foreign wing, the Quds
Force, who was killed in a U.S. drone strike in January 2020. In recent
years, Washington has accused several Iran-backed militias of killing
American service members and has designated some as terrorist organizations.
In the wake of Gen. Soleimani’s death, new groups have emerged in Iraq,
claiming responsibility for attacks targeting American interests. Not
much is known about these groups, but many are believed to be splinters
of bigger, long-established factions using new names in an attempt to
shield their identity.
Smoke rose over the airport in Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan, after a rocket
attack Monday.
Photo: thaier al-sudani/Reuters
On Monday, a little-known Shiite militia group named the Guardians of
the Blood Brigade claimed responsibility for a rocket attack on the
U.S.-led coalition in Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan, that killed a contractor
and injured several others, including a U.S. service member. The
development represents an early test for President Biden.
Here are some of the Iran-backed groups in the region:
Hezbollah, Lebanon
A political and paramilitary Shiite Islamist movement, Hezbollah (Arabic
for “Party of God”) was founded with Iranian financing and support and
gained prominence during Israel’s invasion of Lebanon in 1982. It is
currently headed by Hassan Nasrallah, who has led it to military victory
on the side of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The group has also
gained political influence in Lebanon, where it forms a component of the
government. Tehran in part uses Hezbollah, which is positioned on the
border with Israel, to deter Israeli attacks against Iran, as well as to
exert influence in Syria. The U.S. designated Hezbollah a terrorist
organization in 1997.
Kataib Hezbollah, Iraq
Kataib Hezbollah (“The Hezbollah Brigades”) is one of the most powerful
Iraqi militias founded after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. It is
one of the closest of Tehran’s affiliates, serving almost entirely
Iran’s agenda in Iraq. The group is directly funded, armed and trained
by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. It played a role in
fighting Islamic State and defended Mr. Assad in the Syrian war. Its
supporters stormed the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad in December 2019 after
the U.S. killed dozens of its fighters in an airstrike.
Badr Organization, Iraq
Perhaps Iran’s oldest and strongest military ally in Iraq, the Badr
Organization, or the Badr Brigades, has been affiliated with Iran since
it was established in 1982. Thought to have around 50,000 fighters, it
is an integral part of the Iraqi political and military establishments.
Its leader, Hadi al-Ameri, has emerged as one of Iraq’s kingmakers in
the country’s government and has also rebuked calls from the country’s
prime minister to lay down arms.
Asaib Ahl al-Haq, Iraq
Asaib Ahl al-Haq (“The League of the Righteous”) seeks to promote Iran’s
influence in Iraq and expand Shiite control of the country, and has done
so by entering politics. It is led by Qais al-Khazali, who rose to
prominence after the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq and gained a reputation
for attacking coalition forces. The Shiite militia also operates in
Syria and Lebanon. The Trump administration designated the group a
terrorist organization in 2020. Like Kataib Hezbollah, the group is part
of the Popular Mobilization Forces, an umbrella for Iraqi militias that
exert great power on the ground, some of which are backed by Iran.
Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the Palestinian territories
Founded in 1979 as an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood, the PIJ is one
of Iran’s Sunni allies and the second-largest militant group in Gaza
after Hamas. It is predominantly financed by Iran and Syria, with whom
it shares its fierce opposition to Israel. Part of the group is based in
Syria and Lebanon, where it has trained and conducted operations with
Hezbollah.
Liwa Fatemiyoun, Syria
Liwa Fatemiyoun, and its related group Liwa Zeinabiyoun, are brigades
consisting of Afghan and Pakistani Shiites, respectively, that were
formed by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in 2014 to fight
alongside Mr. Assad in Syria’s war against Sunni extremists, including
Islamic State. Numbering as many as 20,000 Afghans, Liwa Fatemiyoun has
taken heavy casualties in the Syrian conflict. At least some of its
fighters have been coerced into fighting under Iran’s command in Syria,
while others fought to protect Shiite holy sites from Islamic State.
Houthi rebels joined a funeral procession Feb. 16 for Houthis killed in
fighting forces of Yemen’s Saudi-backed government.
Photo: Hani Mohammed/Associated Press
The Houthis, Yemen
The Houthi movement that took over Yemen’s capital, San’a, in 2014 and
2015 is, according to the U.S. government, another proxy of Iran’s
military. Iran, however, says it supports the group’s cause but denies
arming or training it. The Houthis, who are officially called Ansar
Allah (“supporters of God”), are Zaidiyyah, a Shiite sect that differs
from the dominant Shiism in Iran, and are one of the most independent of
Tehran’s allies. Yet they have served Iran’s agenda for years by waging
a war with rockets and drones against Saudi Arabia.
Write to Sune Engel Rasmussen at sune.rasmussen-at-wsj.com
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