A number of demonstrators gathered in the Marine Square in Basra, demanding the trial of "death squads" and those who commit crimes against journalists and activists. This comes as the American newspaper "The New York Times" published an article warning of the escalating threat the United States faces from Iranian agents in Iraq. According to the newspaper, the threat is increasing as Iranian-backed militias in Iraq are using more advanced weapons, including armed drones, which have managed to strike important American targets and evade U.S. defenses.
Last month, General Kenneth McKenzie, commander of the U.S. Central Command, warned about the threat posed by these advanced drones, adding that the U.S. military is racing to find ways to counter them. Over the past few months, Iraqi militias have repeatedly attempted to target military bases in Iraq housing American forces, with the most recent being the Ain al-Assad base. The U.S. Department of Defense is reportedly considering strikes against those Iran-backed factions.
Two informed sources confirmed that the Pentagon is planning to obtain the approval of President Joe Biden to carry out strikes against the militias in Iraq. One of the sources explained to the "Daily Caller" that the U.S. administration is "seriously considering a wide range of responses to militia aggression against Americans in Iraq." Another source added that "the operations plan and various available options will be discussed in the coming days inside the White House through the National Security Council." The options for strikes have been on the table since January, following the strike that targeted the commander of the Quds Force in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, Qassem Soleimani, but any strike requires specific individual permission from the president.
Additionally, the source confirmed that officials will seek Biden's approval for such strikes soon, although no specific timeline was provided. In contrast, the U.S. administration has remained silent, and there has been no response from the White House regarding this information, with the National Security Council declining to comment and a Pentagon spokesperson also refraining from comments.
### Iran Rearranging Militia Forces
It is noteworthy that numerous rocket attacks have repeatedly tried to target military bases housing American forces over the past months. The United States often accuses Iranian-aligned factions of being behind those attacks. Also, multiple sources confirmed last week, according to a report by Reuters, that Iran is rearranging its militia forces in Iraq and has started selecting hundreds of trusted fighters from among the ranks of its strongest allied militias to form smaller factions that are strongly loyal to it, marking a significant shift away from reliance on large groups.
The report revealed that these new secret groups were trained last year in drone warfare, surveillance, and online propaganda in Lebanon. It also confirmed direct communication between these groups and officers in the Quds Force, the arm of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) that controls allied militias abroad.
