Kataib Hezbollah halts attacks on US Embassy in Baghdad, demands Israel end Lebanon strikes
The Iraqi resistance faction set firm conditions for the break, warning that attacks will resume if the terms are violated
On 19 March, Iraq’s Kataib Hezbollah announced a five-day pause in attacks on the US Embassy in Baghdad, contingent upon Israel halting its attacks on Beirut and ceasing bombardments in Iraqi cities, as the US-Israeli war on Iran continues to expand throughout West Asia.
The group said its secretary-general “issued orders to suspend operations targeting the US Embassy in Baghdad for a period of five days,” warning that “the response will be immediate” if the terms are violated.
The terms include Israel “cease the destruction and bombardment of the southern suburbs in Beirut,” and called for “a commitment to not bomb residential areas in Baghdad and the provinces,” as well as “the withdrawal of CIA elements from their positions and keeping them inside the embassy.”
It warned that “if the enemy does not comply, the response will be direct and concentrated,” with “an increased pace of strikes after the period ends.”
Senior figure Abu Majeed Assaf said the directive came from leader Abu Hussein al-Hamidawi, and urged Iraqi forces not to protect US or Israeli personnel, describing them as “espionage and war groups,” while calling for the protection of diplomatic missions only “as long as their countries remain committed to not engaging in this war.”
The pause follows near-daily attacks on US targets over the past week, with no attacks being reported between Wednesday night and Thursday morning, according to AFP.
The embassy and a US facility at Baghdad International Airport have been repeatedly targetedwith drones and rockets in retaliation for US-Israeli strikes on Baghdad and Anbar province, which have sought to target senior figures
The attacks have killed at least 61 people so far, including three fighters from the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) in a strike on its command center, according to the alliance.
Explosions were also reported in Erbil, where projectiles were intercepted near a US consulate and coalition base.
The escalations follow the 28 February US-Israeli attack on Iran, which has since drawn Iraq into the war.
The country’s economy has been hit by the sudden halt of Iranian gas supplies, cutting 3,100 megawatts (MW) from the grid, with authorities turning to “alternative fuels and domestic gas reserves.”
Oil exports through Turkiye remain limited at 250,000 barrels per day (bpd) after the Strait of Hormuz was effectively shut, as the group warns of a prolonged “war of attrition” and maintains that targeting US assets remains a priority following the killing of Kataib Hezbollah’s senior security commander Abu Ali al-Askari.
In Lebanon, Israel has significantly escalated its campaign against Hezbollah, launching heavy airstrikes on the capital, Beirut, and its southern suburb, and across the country’s south, killing at least 900 people so far, and displacing over 1 million, about a sixth of the country’s population.