The Hezbollah Brigades called on Sunday for other terrorist groups to prepare for a comprehensive war, including suicide operations, in support of Iran amid mounting U.S. pressure on Tehran, The New Region reported.
Hajj Abu Hussein al-Hamidawi, the secretary-general of Iraq's Iran-backed Hezbollah Brigades, said in a statement that "we address our call to our mujahideen brothers in the east and west of the earth ... to prepare for a comprehensive war in support of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the fortress and pride of the nation, which has stood for more than four decades alongside the oppressed and all the just causes of the nation of Muhammad."
Hamidawi's message was released shortly after reports that the USS Abraham Lincoln arrived in the Middle East and entered striking range of Iran, amid repeated threats by President Donald Trump to intervene should a crackdown on protesters escalate.
Hamidawi emphasized in his statement that "we affirm to the enemies that the war on the Republic will not be a picnic; rather, you will taste the bitterest forms of death, and nothing will remain of you in our region."
The group was designated a terrorist organization by the U.S. in 2009. Washington has repeatedly called on the disarmament of armed groups within Iraq, saying that the presence of such factions undermines Iraq's sovereignty, according to The New Region.
The U.S. has increased efforts to curb Tehran's influence in Iraq, particularly by targeting Iran-backed militias such as the Hezbollah Brigades, as well as financial entities and networks that finance the militias and Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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