A source close to the Sadrist movement confirmed today, Friday, that the movement's resort to targeting bases where American forces are deployed in Iraq, in support of Gaza and in protest against Washington's approach in supporting Israeli aggression, is contingent on the directives of its leader, Muqtada al-Sadr. The source stated that "the Sadrist movement's stance on supporting the Palestinian people against the Zionist entity is clear from the statements of its leader, which have supported the Palestinian cause and called for the closure of the American embassy in Baghdad."
The source added that "the decision to target any base where American forces are deployed in Iraq is exclusively dependent on the leader (al-Sadr), and if it happens, the movement will not delay in announcing it," noting that "Washington is complicit in the shedding of the blood of tens of thousands of civilians in Gaza through funding and supporting the usurping entity."
The source pointed out that the "Sadrist movement is in a state of great anger over the events in Gaza and other Palestinian cities and is subject to any decision issued by its leader." According to the U.S. Department of Defense, the number of attacks against its forces in Iraq and Syria over the past three weeks has totaled more than 41 attacks, resulting in injuries to 56 soldiers so far, including painful brain injuries and minor injuries.
Shortly after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken's departure from Iraq following a meeting with Prime Minister Muhammad Shia' al-Sudani on November 5, the Sadrist leader announced via various platforms that there would be an upcoming directive, igniting speculation about what al-Sadr would say and whether he would call for armed involvement in the Al-Aqsa Flood operations against either Israeli or American forces. He later called for immediate mobilization that evening in Tahrir Square to denounce Secretary Blinken's visit to Baghdad.
Blinken appeared at Baghdad International Airport wearing a bulletproof vest, a scene that observers and those interested in political affairs interpreted as an unusual message with many implications, indicating that Iraq has become unsafe for the American side or foreigners in general.
