Iran-Backed Iraqi Militias Target Israel and US Interests as Baghdad Faces Pressure to Disarm Proxy Forces

Iran-Backed Militias Escalate Drone Strikes Against Israel and American Interests in Iraq

Iraqi territory has become a launching pad for unmanned aerial vehicle attacks targeting Israel, according to Israeli military spokesman Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, who confirmed the development exclusively to Fox News Digital. Shoshani noted that the Israeli military has achieved a "near complete success" rate in intercepting Iranian drones before they reach their targets inside Israeli borders.

The drones are widely believed to originate from the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), an umbrella coalition of Iranian-backed Shiite militias that previously targeted Israel with drone strikes in 2024 during the conflict with Tehran-supported Hamas.

Iraq Described as an Iranian Instrument

An Iraqi Kurdish official painted a stark picture of the political situation inside Iraq, telling Fox News Digital that the country has effectively been absorbed into Iran's sphere of influence.

"Iraq has become a vessel for the Iranians," the official said. "I don't see a distinction between the PMF and the state. They're paid by the state, hold sovereign portfolios in this cabinet, go on foreign travel, and now they've entered the federal legislature."

The official went on to describe a systematic campaign by Tehran to co-opt Iraqi state institutions over the past two decades, using them to protect the Shiite government in Baghdad while economically suffocating the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and undermining its autonomy.

Christian Community Targeted in Drone Strike

The violence has not been limited to military or political targets. Chaldean Archbishop Bashar Warda of Erbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan, reported on social media platform X that two drones struck near his community's Catechist Center, which serves roughly 1,000 Catholic children.

"A miracle no one was injured when two drones struck our community, 150 meters from our Catechist Center," Archbishop Warda wrote, urging prayers for all those affected by the ongoing conflict.

Kurdistan Regional Government officials confirmed the drone strike. Phillip Smyth, a recognized expert on Shiite militias operating in Iraq, told Fox News Digital that Kata'ib Hezbollah was the first group to publicly reference the attack and was the most likely perpetrator, though he noted that multiple pro-Iran factions routinely cooperate on drone operations.

US Energy Interests Come Under Fire

In a significant escalation, a drone attack struck an oil field operated by American energy company HKN Energy in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, triggering a fire and forcing a temporary halt to production, according to reporting by Reuters citing security sources and a field engineer.

No group formally claimed responsibility for the strike, but Kurdish officials pointed the finger at Iran-aligned Iraqi militias. If confirmed, the attack would represent a deliberate expansion of targets — from US military installations in Iraqi Kurdistan to American commercial energy infrastructure.

Several other energy firms operating in the region preemptively suspended oil and gas production following US and Israeli strikes on Iran and its proxy networks.

PMF Funded by Iraqi Federal Budget, Experts Say

Entifadh Qanbar, a former spokesman for Iraq's deputy prime minister, provided Fox News Digital with a detailed breakdown of PMF funding, asserting that the militia force is financed directly through Iraq's national budget.

"The Popular Mobilization Forces are fully funded by the Iraqi government. Officially, more than $3 billion is allocated annually just for salaries, but when logistics, weapons, food, and other operational costs are included, the PMF's budget likely exceeds $10 billion — the size of a small country's national budget," Qanbar stated.

Calls for US Sanctions Against Baghdad

Qanbar argued that Washington has concrete tools available to change Iraq's behavior. He called for targeted sanctions against the Iraqi government for financing the militias and suggested the United States could leverage Iraq's oil revenues, which are deposited with the US Federal Reserve, as a pressure mechanism.

"The United States could suspend transfers of those funds unless Baghdad halts the financing of the PMF," he said. "Make no mistake: every terrorist who launches drones or rockets against Kurdistan, US interests, Gulf states, or military bases is effectively being paid by the Iraqi government."

Baghdad Sends Mixed Signals

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani publicly stated that his government would not tolerate any effort to drag Iraq into open conflict or destabilize the country. Yet his administration has sent contradictory messages regarding the PMF over the years.

As recently as May 2025, al-Sudani described the PMF as "a basic force in defending Iraq." Meanwhile, Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein claimed in January 2025 that the government was actively working to persuade Iran-backed militias to disarm — a claim that appears difficult to reconcile with the continued PMF activity.

Several Iraqi government officials, including the country's ambassador to the United States, did not respond to requests for comment from Fox News Digital.

Militias Threaten European Nations

Following the elimination of a senior Kataeb Hezbollah commander south of Baghdad in an Israeli military strike, PMF-affiliated militias escalated their rhetoric, threatening to target Middle Eastern interests belonging to European nations that participated in or supported the joint US-Israeli strikes against Iran and its proxy forces, according to The Times of Israel.

Iran's United Nations mission declined to comment when asked whether Tehran had directed Shiite militias to launch drone attacks against Israel.

Fox News Digital also reached out to the US State Department for a response.