Islamic Resistance in Iraq targets Haifa Port, Israeli military claims interception

Shafaq News/ The Islamic Resistance in Iraq (IRI) claimed responsibility for a drone strike targeting the Port of Haifa on Wednesday morning.

"In continuation of our path of resistance against the occupation [Israel], in support of our people in Gaza, and response to the massacres committed by the usurping entity against Palestinian civilians, including children, women, and the elderly, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq targeted the Haifa port in our occupied lands this Wednesday morning, September 4, 2024, using drones," the IRI said in a statement. The group vowed to continue targeting "enemy strongholds."

Earlier, the Israeli military reported that its air defenses had intercepted a drone launched from Iraq. According to the Israeli army, the drone was en route to Israel from the east when it was intercepted during the night. The drone did not enter Israeli airspace, and no injuries were reported.

Israeli media sources indicated that the drone was intercepted as it neared a target close to the Jordanian border.

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, associated with the Popular Mobilization Forces, has claimed responsibility for numerous drone attacks against Israel amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza that killed more than 41,000 Palestinians.

While the Israeli military has successfully intercepted many of these drones, many incidents caused damage, including to an Israeli Navy base in Eilat.

The IRI, linked to Tehran's military allies in Iraq, including groups like Kataib Hezbollah and Harakat Hezbollah Al-Nujabaa, is a key component of the "Axis of Resistance" alongside Lebanon's Hezbollah and Yemen's Ansarallah. The group's operations are framed as efforts to "expel the American occupation" and support their "Palestinian brothers."

Last week, the IRI also claimed responsibility for a drone attack on the Alon Tavor power plant in Haifa and had previously targeted another site in the same city.

So far, the group has claimed responsibility for more than 220 attacks on US bases and Israel.