Commander of Iraqi Shiite militia Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada spotted in Lebanon

The commander of the Iraqi Shiite militia Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada, Abu Ala al-Walai, was spotted in Lebanon.

By the end of the week, thousands of militants from this organization are expected to arrive in Lebanon, who will take part in the “war for Palestine”, NEWSru.co.il reports with reference to Iraqi media.

It should be noted that Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada militants operate not only in Iraq but also in Syria. It is quite possible that they are ready to support Hamas and Hezbollah in the war against Israel. But it is unclear why they would move to Lebanon for this. It is possible that Abu Ala al-Walai's visit to Beirut simply indicates that his group is coordinating further actions with Hezbollah.

The Master of Martyrs Battalions, or Kata'ib Sayyid al-Shuhada' (KSS) is an Iraqi Shia militia formed in 2013. Its stated mission is to protect "(Shia) shrines across the globe", preserve "Iraqi unity" and "put an end to the sectarian conflict".

The group has been described as an Iranian proxy and is one of the original militias that formed the Popular Mobilization Forces in 2014. The group has close ties to the Badr Organization and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

The group is also active in Syria, where its main focus is the protection of the Sayyidah Zaynab Mosque in the southern suburbs of Damascus. It militarily supports the al-Assad Government in the Syria Civil War and engaged in the Battle of Al-Shaykh Maskin in December 2014 in Syria in support of the Syrian army.