Iraqi armed group Kataib Hezbollah announced on Tuesday the suspension of all its military operations against US forces in the region to prevent "embarrassment" of the Iraqi government.
Iran-aligned groups have been attacking Israeli and US targets from Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq, and Syria since their Palestinian ally Hamas and Israel started fighting on October 7.
Kataib Hezbollah Suspends Military Operations Against US Forces
Young men raise the flag of Kataeb Hezbollah (Hezbollah Brigades) group during commemorations marking the second anniversary of the killing of top Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani and Iraqi commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, in the southern Iraqi city of Basra, on January 8, 2022. - The January 3, 2020 strike against Soleimani, the architect of Iran's Middle Eastern military strategy, was ordered by then US president Donald Trump, and it also killed his Iraqi lieutenant Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the Hashed's deputy chief.
Abu Hussein al-Hamidawi, the secretary-general of Kataib Hezbollah, said in a statement posted on Telegram, "We will continue to defend our people in Gaza in other ways as we announce the suspension of military and security operations against the occupation forces - to prevent the embarrassment of the Iraqi government."
The Pentagon announced on Sunday that a drone attack near the Jordan-Syria border killed three US forces and left footprints of Kataib Hezbollah, which opened a new chapter in the conflict. However, a formal evaluation has not yet been done.
A Pentagon spokesperson declined to comment on the group's statement, saying, "Actions speak louder than words."
Kataib Hezbollah is the most powerful faction within the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group of hardline Shi'ite armed factions that launched over 150 strikes on US forces in Iraq and Syria.
The US retaliated with deadly strikes in both Syria and Iraq in a cycle of increasing violence that Iraqi officials said threatened to undo progress toward strengthening the country after decades of conflict.
Foreign affairs adviser Farhad Alaadin reported that Kataib Hezbollah's decision came after days of intense efforts by Iraq's prime minister to prevent a new escalation following the attack in Jordan.
Alaadin said in an interview that prime minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani has worked hard in the past few days, engaging with all relevant parties inside and outside Iraq. He added that all sides need to support the efforts of Al-Sudani to prevent any possible escalation.
Iran has denied any role in the attacks carried out by Iraqi groups, claiming that members of Iran's "Axis of Resistance" plan and execute operations by themselves.
According to Western and Iraqi sources, the government of Iraq is supported by parties and armed groups close to Iran but not directly by the hardline groups that have been firing on US forces. Baghdad has denounced the attacks and said that there will be regional escalation as long as the Gaza war continues.
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At Least 3 US Troops Killed in Jordan
President Joe Biden and US officials said on Sunday that three US troops were killed and at least 34 had been injured in a drone attack by Iran-backed militants on US forces in northeastern Jordan.
It is the first deadly attack against US forces since the Israel-Hamas conflict erupted in October, which sparked a major escalation in tensions that have enveloped the Middle East.
Biden said that they are still gathering the facts of the attack, but they know it was carried out by radical Iran-backed militant groups operating in Syria and Iraq.
"Have no doubt - we will hold all those responsible to account at a time and in a manner of our choosing," he added.
Related Article: Biden Vows Retaliation After 3 US Troops Killed in Drone Attack in Jordan
