Iran-backed Iraqi militia sets conditions to pause attacks on US embassy

The Iran-backed Iraqi militia, Kataib Hezbollah, announced it will suspend attacks on the US Embassy in Baghdad—but only if specific conditions are met by the US and Israel, CNN reports.

The US Embassy in Baghdad has been targeted by multiple rocket and drone strikes since the conflict with Iran escalated nearly three weeks ago, with Iran-backed militias taking responsibility.

Kataib Hezbollah stated it would halt attacks for a five-day period; however, it warned that failure to meet its demands would trigger “intensified” strikes.

The militia’s primary conditions include stopping what it called Israel’s “displacement of civilians and bombardment” in southern Beirut.

It also demanded an end to airstrikes on residential neighbourhoods in Baghdad and other Iraqi provinces, and insisted that CIA personnel remain inside the embassy compound, operating only under limited exceptions.

Since March 1, dozens of militia fighters have been killed in various strikes across Iraq, with both Iraqi authorities and militia groups frequently blaming the US and Israel for the violence.

By Jeyhun Aghazada