Shafaq News- Najaf

Shiite cleric Ayatollah Kamal al-Haidari on Tuesday called for “jihad” against the United States and Israel, according to a statement issued by his office.

In a written statement, al-Haidari said the attacks targeted “the civilizational core and religious authority” of Iran, adding that confronting US and Israeli aggression is a religious and moral responsibility. He urged Muslims to prepare for “legitimate defense of land, dignity and sovereignty,” and called for resisting “Zionist and American arrogance in all its forms.”

In Shiite jurisprudence, jihad in this context is generally understood as a defensive religious mobilization in response to perceived external aggression, rather than an offensive war. Under Twelver Shiite doctrine, the authority to issue such binding religious rulings traditionally rests with a Marja’ al-Taqlid —a supreme religious authority recognized by followers as a source of emulation in matters of faith and law.

A similar call was made in 2014 by Iraq’s top Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, whose fatwa urging Iraqis to fight ISIS led to the mobilization of volunteers later organized under the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF).

Most of the Iran-aligned “Islamic Resistance” armed factions in Iraq regard Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as their marja’ (religious authority) and political leader under the principle of wilayat al-faqih, which links religious leadership with governance and loyalty to Iran’s supreme leadership.