Iraq’s Kataeb Hezbollah threatens to target US bases if Washington intervenes amid Iran-Israel escalation

Iraqi armed faction Kataeb Hezbollah issued a stark warning on Sunday, cautioning the US against any potential military involvement in the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran and threatening to target American interests and military bases across the region.

The Iran-backed group’s Secretary-General, Abu Hussein al-Hamidawi, released a statement referencing possible US involvement in the recent hostilities, which were sparked by Israel’s unprecedented aerial assault on Iranian territory.

Al-Hamidawi warned that any direct US intervention would be met with force and called for the immediate closure of the US embassy in Baghdad.

"We are closely monitoring the movements of the American enemy's army in the region," al-Hamidawi said in a statement.

"If America intervenes in the war, we will act directly against its interests and bases spread across the region without hesitation."

He further urged the Iraqi government, which he said was made up of "sincere and responsible figures", to "assume responsibility and take a bold stance to prevent the expansion of war".

Al-Hamidawi also reiterated that the continued American military and diplomatic presence in Iraq would no longer be tolerated if hostilities intensified, calling it "the clearest and most dangerous threat to Iraq's security and regional stability".

His comments follow growing accusations from Iran that the US is complicit in Israel’s latest attacks on Iran.

On Sunday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian urged Iraq to prevent the US from using its airspace and territory to launch attacks against Iran.

While Baghdad has close ties with Tehran, it is also a strategic partner of Washington, which currently has around 2,500 troops stationed in Iraq as part of an international coalition against the Islamic State group.

In a statement issued late Saturday, the Iraqi government reaffirmed its "firm and unequivocal rejection of any violation of Iraqi airspace or its use in military attacks carried out by the Zionist entity against the Islamic Republic of Iran".

It also called on the United States to "uphold its responsibilities... to prevent aircraft belonging to the Zionist entity from once again breaching Iraqi airspace to carry out such attacks," following a formal complaint submitted to the United Nations over Israel’s reported use of Iraqi airspace.

Kataeb Hezbollah’s latest remarks could further inflame tensions in the region, as powerful Iran-aligned groups, most notably Lebanon’s Hezbollah, have largely remained silent in response to the intense clashes between Iran and Israel.

According to Iranian media citing the health ministry, Israeli strikes between Friday and Saturday killed at least 128 people, including women and children, and injured around 900 others.

In retaliation, Iranian missile attacks on Israel overnight reportedly killed at least 10 people, raising the total number of fatalities in Israel to 13 since Iran began its retaliatory strikes on Friday, with 380 people injured.