Baghdad: Factions' supporters rally after dispute over Hezbollah and Houthis designation

Shafaq News – Baghdad

Cars displaying flags of Lebanon’s Hezbollah and images of its leaders, along with pictures of commanders from Yemen’s Houthis (Ansarallah), moved through central Baghdad on Friday.

Shafaq News correspondent said the display was intended as a show of support after Iraqi authorities briefly listed the groups as terrorist entities, a designation the government later said had been issued in error.

He observed several vehicles driving near Tahrir Square, a central landmark in the capital, carrying posters of former Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah and party flags, while other vehicles displayed images of Abdul-Malik Al-Houthi, the leader of the Houthis movement in Yemen.

On Thursday, Iraq’s Harakat Al-Nujaba, a Shiite Iran-aligned armed faction, blasted the inclusion of both groups on Iraq’s national terrorism sanctions list as a “betrayal”.

Ali Al-Asadi, head of the group’s political council, said that Hezbollah and Houthis “shed blood on Iraqi soil to defend its dignity and sacred sites.” He argued that any government responsible for the designation “does not represent the Iraqi people.”

Meanwhile, Iraq's Central Bank clarified that sanctions apply solely to individuals and entities tied to ISIS and al-Qaeda. 

Read more: Iraq’s backtrack on Hezbollah–Houthi listing exposes a high-stakes regional tightrope