On Friday, Abdul Aziz al-Muhandis, the Chief of Staff of the Popular Mobilization Forces, known as "Abu Fadak," stated that they are awaiting a decision from Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei regarding a response to the Israeli bombing that targeted the consular office of the Tehran Embassy in Damascus. "Abu Fadak" mentioned in comments made to several media outlets today in Iran that "what is happening now among all the resistance axis in Yemen, Iraq, Lebanon, Palestine, and also in the Islamic Republic of Iran is the announcement of Israel's demise." He added, "We are waiting for the decision of the Iranian Revolutionary Leader to see what comes next and what the response will be to the Israeli aggression against the Iranian consulate in Damascus and the killing of some IRGC leaders."
**Options for Responding to Israel**
The American "Washington Institute" highlighted the challenges and options faced by the Iraqi Shiite factions involved in the "Resistance Axis" regarding their announced attacks against Israel, following a two-month halt in their attacks against U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria. The report indicated that attention has been focused on the anti-coalition strikes carried out by Iraqi factions, supported by Iran, in Iraq, Syria, and Jordan, while these groups have also conducted parallel strike campaigns against Israel since the outbreak of the Gaza War in October 2023.
However, the report noted that verifying these attacks has been difficult, whether during the launch of rockets and drones or upon their arrival at targets in Israel or their explosion en route. According to estimates from the American institute, groups affiliated with the "Islamic Resistance in Iraq" claimed responsibility for 40 attacks on Israel since the first of its kind, which was a strike on November 2, 2023, against an unspecified target "in the Dead Sea."
The report continued that on the same day, an Iranian-made cruise missile of the "Quds" type was filmed in the Jordanian desert after crashing or being intercepted. It added that the latest attacks, specifically on April 1 of this year, involved a cruise missile apparently launched from Iraq towards a naval base in Eilat, where Israeli submarines armed with nuclear weapons are maintained.
