Exclusive: Iraq’s Sayyid al-Shuhada Brigades uphold Unity of Fronts against Israel despite operation halt
Shafaq News/ The Sayyid al-Shuhada Brigades, a prominent Iraqi armed faction, affirmed on Sunday that Iraqi factions "have not and will not" abandon the Unity of Fronts principle in their stance against Israel, attributing the suspension of their operations to both internal and external factors.
The pro-Iranian Axis of Resistance, which includes Iraqi Sayyid al-Shuhada Brigades, advocates for the "Unity of Fronts" strategy. This approach focuses on coordinating and consolidating efforts among allied groups across Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and Palestine to counter common adversaries, primarily Israel and the United States.
Kazem Al-Fartousi, the brigades' spokesman, told Shafaq News Agency, "The Unity of Fronts principle is firmly upheld by Iraqi factions… Circumstances may shape the factions' positions, but this principle is not tied to a temporary alliance among Resistance Axis factions—it is a matter of doctrine… Regardless of the losses, Iraqi factions have not and will not abandon the principle of Unity of Fronts."
"Iraqi operations against Israel were tied to Hezbollah's actions, halting when a ceasefire was declared in Lebanon. There are also partners in Iraq with differing views on the factions' actions, and their perspectives must be considered. This isn't about recklessness but about carefully studying the situation, especially since these partners are part of the resistance. Therefore, their opinions should be considered without disregard or rigidity,” Al-Fartousi explained.
Recent reports in Iraq suggest that significant changes may be coming to Baghdad following the fall of Bashar Al-Assad's regime in Syria. This coincided with the revelation of details from a meeting between US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani in Baghdad, where Blinken called for the dissolution of the factions, the handover of their weapons to the state, and the reduction of Iran's influence in Iraq.
However, Iran affirmed that the resistance is “self-sustained” in Iraq and not related to Iran. “Iran supports the resistance but did not establish it,” Iranian affairs researcher Mojtaba Haidari told our agency.
Former Deputy Prime Minister Baha al-Araji, a close ally of the Iraqi PM, told our agency that "fears of security or political changes in Iraq in the near future are unrealistic, especially given that some seek to spark internal conflict to push events that are unlikely to occur, particularly in security and military matters."
“This is an internal matter, and the decision-makers will determine whether these factions remain… The existence of these factions is tied to the presence of occupation; without that, there would be no armed factions,” he added.
