Following Yemen’s Houthis, Iraq resistance announces naval blockade on Israel

A prominent Iraqi resistance faction, the Sayyid Al-Shuhada Brigades, announced yesterday that it will begin implementing the second phase of the Islamic Resistance of Iraq’s operations against Israel, which will include imposing a naval blockade on the occupation state in the Mediterranean Sea.

In a post on X, the Secretary-General of the Iranian-supported faction, Abu Ala Al-Walaei said: “At a time when the criminal American occupation is again blatantly targeting our security forces…we urge the Mujahideen of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq to begin the second phase of their blessed operations.”

This, he said, will include “enforcing the blockade on Zionist maritime navigation in the Mediterranean Sea, and removing the entity’s ports,” adding that “The usurper is out of service, and this will continue until the unjust siege on Gaza is lifted, and the horrific Zionist massacres against its people are stopped.”

في الوقت الذي يعاود فيه الاحتلال الامريكي المجرم استهدافه السافر لقواتنا الامنية وحشدنا المقدس في عدد من مناطق العراق، فإننا نشد على يد مجاهدي المقاومة الاسلامية في العراق شروعهم بالمرحلة الثانية من عملياتهم المباركة المتضمنة إطباق الحصار على الملاحة البحرية الصهيونية في البحر…

— ابو الاء الولائي (@aboalaa_alwalae) January 23, 2024

The development comes after an announcement yesterday that the Islamic Iraqi resistance carried out an operation targeting Israel’s port of Ashdod with drones. It also claimed to have fired missiles at the Koniko base housing US forces in Syria – reportedly for the third time.

BREAKING – Iranian-backed Islamic Resistance in Iraq will shut down the Israeli port of Haifa

The "Second Phase" of the military operation against Israel, will be the start, to impose a NAVAL BLOCKADE from the Mediterranean, after the US has carried out yesterday night air… pic.twitter.com/L0WIu3faHh

— Lou Rage (@lifepeptides) January 24, 2024

Iraqi resistance movements have been stepping up attacks against both US bases in Iraq and Syria, and against Israel in light of its genocidal war on Gaza. The occupation state is already reeling from a naval blockade in the Red Sea from Yemen’s Houthi-aligned armed forces, who have seized and attacked vessels linked or destined to the southern Israeli port of Eilat which has seen an 85 per cent drop in activity since the Houthis began targeting Israel’s maritime traffic.

READ: Missiles target US base in Iraq

Earlier this month, the head of the Sanaa-based Supreme Political Council, Mahdi Al-Mashat, reaffirmed Yemen’s operations against Israel will continue in solidarity with “the oppressed people of the Gaza Strip.”

Despite the economic toll on Israel’s economy, most of its trade enters through the Mediterranean Sea, particularly via the Haifa and Ashdod ports, which have until now remained unaffected. Just last month, Israel claimed that it shot down a drone over the Mediterranean near Lebanon, while the Iraqi resistance said that it targeted Israel’s Karish gas field with a drone.

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