By Al-Fassel | 2024-02-01

The surprise announcement by Iraqi militant group Kataib Hizbullah that it will temporarily halt attacks on US forces is the clearest indication yet of its subservience to Iran, observers say.

The pro-Iran group, which is part of the so-called Axis of Resistance, said Tuesday (January 30) it would halt its attacks on US troops, after Washington pledged a "very consequential" response to a drone attack that killed three of its soldiers and wounded dozens more in Jordan over the weekend.

It was obvious from the tone of the statement that the group was not happy about what it was being directed to do.

"Our brothers in the Axis, especially in the Islamic Republic [of Iran], do not know how we conduct our jihad," Kataib Hizbullah leader Ahmad al-Hamidawi said in a statement posted to the group's website.

Kataib Hizbullah's halfhearted commitment to stop its attacks against US troops was quickly followed in the same statement by an assurance from al-Hamidawi that this halt will be only "temporary."

Interviews with Iraqi and Iranian officials suggest that there have been intensive negotiations in recent days aimed at pushing Kataib Hizbullah to stop its attacks, according to a New York Times report on Tuesday.

Kataib Hizbullah and other groups reportedly ignored the Iraqi government's request to stand down, but once the attack in Jordan took American lives, the Iraqi prime minister reached out directly to Iran, according to a military strategist for Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Despite ongoing denials that Iran does not direct the activities of groups part of the so-called Axis of Resistance, evidence is plentiful, as nearly all the weaponry, drones and missiles these groups use can be tied directly back to Iran.

Moreover, one of the main people participating in the recent talks with Iraq about stopping Kataib Hizbullah activity was none other than Esmail Qaani, the leader of the IRGC Quds Force.

Fear in Iran of US response

The increase in attacks by Iran-backed militants on US troops in the region risks a significant escalation of the current regional conflict, as the United States vows retaliation against those responsible.

The United States blamed Iran-backed militants for an unmanned aerial drone attack on a base in northeast Jordan near the Syria border that killed three US troops and injured at least 34 others late on January 27.

The so-called Islamic Resistance in Iraq, of which Kataib Hizbullah is the main group, subsequently claimed responsibility.

Since mid-October, US and allied forces in Iraq and Syria have been targeted in about 160 attacks, according to the Pentagon, and Washington has carried out retaliatory strikes in both countries.

One of those retaliatory strikes occurred on January 23 when US weaponry struck Kataib Hizbullah headquarters in an area southwest of Baghdad, known as Jurf al-Sakhr.

A number of US officials, including US President Joe Biden, have vowed to retaliate for the deadly Jordan attack.

"We're going to respond, and we're going to do it in a way and a time of our own choosing," John Kirby, a spokesman for the National Security Council, told reporters Tuesday.

Asked about Kataib Hizbullah's statement, US Department of Defense spokesman Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said that "actions speak louder than words."

"We have called on the Iranian proxy groups to stop their attacks. They have not, and so we will respond in a time and manner of our choosing. When I say actions speak louder than words, there have been three attacks to my knowledge since the 28th of January," Ryder said.

A major motivation pushing Iran to rein in its proxies appears to be fear that the United States might target Iranian installations.

The White House warned that "multiple actions" could be taken in retaliation for the attack but gave no further details.

"We are not looking for war," said Gen. Hossein Salami, head of the IRGC, on Wednesday, a day after US officials said a response was coming.

Iran repeatedly has voiced support for what it calls "resistance groups" in the region, but as tensions have risen, the regime has increasingly spun the narrative that these groups are "independent" in decision and action in order to give an air of plausible deniability.