Iraq is paying the price for the identity it belongs to, Jumaa al-Atwani, head of Al-Ufoq Center for Studies and Analysis, said, noting that part of the escalating US pressure stems from Baghdad’s position and its solidarity with Iran.
In remarks to Al Mayadeen, the Iraqi analyst linked the US pressure to the massive and solemn funeral procession held for the martyr leader Sayyed Ali Khamenei in Karbala and Najaf, which had no precedent in history and reflected Iraq’s organic role within the Axis of Resistance.
Al-Atwani considered the US-Saudi aggression that targeted Iraq early Wednesday morning as a “direct act of revenge and retaliation” for that funeral procession.
Regarding accusations directed at the Iraqi Resistance, al-Atwani stressed that the Islamic Resistance factions have never lacked the courage to openly claim responsibility for the operations they carry out.
"They have previously claimed operations against US military bases inside Iraq, as well as military operations deep inside the Israeli occupation during and after the Al-Aqsa Flood operation," he added, insinuating why not do it today as well.
He stressed that the statement issued by the factions categorically denies launching any missiles or drones toward Saudi territory.
Al-Atwani also spoke of a deliberate and targeted effort by the United States and Saudi Arabia to target the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), stressing that the PMF is an official institution under Iraqi law, affiliated with the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, and is completely separate from the Resistance factions administratively, militarily, and logistically.
"This raises an important question: If the Islamic Resistance factions were responsible for military operations against Saudi Arabia, why did Saudi Arabia, together with the United States, target the PMF, which is a completely separate entity from the Resistance factions?" Al-Atwani asked.
"What Saudi Arabia and the United States actually targeted were PMF bases, camps, and command headquarters, particularly in Basra, as we witnessed last night. They also targeted sites in Mosul, Karbala, and Wasit province. This clearly indicates deliberate and hostile targeting aimed at undermining the PMF's capabilities rather than targeting the Islamic Resistance factions inside Iraq," he added.
Elsewhere in his remarks, al-Atwani told Al Mayadeen that “Saudi statements are a repeated narrative that has previously been echoed by the United States and the Israeli entity that there are factions targeting Saudi interests” while ignoring the statement by the Iraqi national security advisor regarding the arrest of groups linked to Ukraine that were carrying out operations inside and outside the country’s borders.
The head of the Al-Ufuq Center also revealed reports confirming that the weapons-laden truck that Syrians claimed to seize while allegedly heading to Hezbollah was a scenario fabricated by the Syrian and Saudi governments through a transporter from inside Syria, in order to create a pretext for targeting the Lebanese Resistance group.
He added that these steps, along with Kuwait’s bombing of the Iraqi-Iranian border crossing several days ago, form part of "a carefully coordinated plan involving regional actors, including Syria and Saudi Arabia, as well as Kuwait, aimed at justifying attacks against PMF units and Iraqi military headquarters."
On the domestic political front, al-Atwani ruled out the possibility of the Al-Zaidi government issuing a statement condemning the Saudi aggression, saying that “the government cannot issue a condemnation amid an upcoming visit by al-Zaidi to Saudi Arabia.” He expected the outcomes of the visit to be largely ceremonial, serving the depth of trade and economic relations without differing from previous visits.
Earlier, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq had denied Riyadh’s accusations of targeting its territory, considering the Saudi claims a “ploy to justify its inability to respond to the painful Yemeni strikes that reached deep into its infrastructure in the Eastern Province and Riyadh, out of fear of the nature of the upcoming Yemeni response.”
The Resistance issued a warning to Riyadh, declaring that any Saudi action it deemed reckless would be met with a response that would leave the kingdom regretting its decision.