Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraqi authorities on Friday ordered all military units operating under the command of the commander-in-chief of the armed forces to enter State of Alert "C," a security source told Shafaq News, adding that the reasons behind the alert declaration remain unknown.

“The directives did not specify when the heightened state of readiness would end,” the source noted.

Alert "C" is Iraq's highest level of military and security readiness. It requires military units to reach maximum preparedness, personnel to report to their units, and leave to be restricted or suspended in preparation for potential security emergencies.

The development follows rising tensions between the Iraqi government and Kataib Hezbollah over Jurf al-Sakhr (Jurf al-Nasr), north of Babil province, following the formation of a government committee to investigate information about oil and petroleum product smuggling in the area.

Government forces reportedly had moved toward the outskirts of Jurf al-Sakhr to secure the investigative committee's entry and allow field inspections of the sites under investigation. However, political interventions and mediation efforts led to the suspension of the movement, amid disagreements over the committee's entry arrangements and the authority overseeing its work.