ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iran-aligned Kata’ib Hezbollah warned Monday that it would shoot down “hostile” aircraft violating Iraqi airspace after the US-led Global Coalition completes its military withdrawal from Iraq this week.
“The Victorious Islamic Resistance will monitor Iraqi airspace to ensure hostile aircraft don’t violate it. We will warn at first, and then we will shoot them down,” Abu Mujahid al-Assaf, a security official with Kata’ib Hezbollah, said in a statement.
Al-Assaf also warned Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi that his government could face efforts to remove it if it continued what the group described as cooperation with the United States.
“Let it be known to Mr. Zaidi and those supporting him: more than one way will be used to topple the government that doesn’t work for the people’s good,” he said.
The statement came two days before the September 30 deadline for the US-led Coalition to end its military mission in Iraq. Iraqi authorities said Monday that Coalition forces had begun withdrawing from Erbil and that no foreign troops would remain in Iraq after the deadline.
Al-Assaf also demanded that Baghdad end what the group called the “air blockade” on Iran after October 1, threatening action against countries involved in the restrictions.
“If the air blockade on the Islamic Republic continues after October 1 of this year,” Kata’ib Hezbollah said, it could take measures including closing border crossings with countries participating in what it called the blockade.
Iraq suspended commercial flights to and from Iran Friday after US sanctions targeting Iranian airlines and companies providing services to them disrupted operations at Iraqi airports. Ground service handling companies said they would comply with US measures for fear of sanctions.
The dispute over the flights has since developed further. Iraq’s ambassador to Iran, Yasser Abdul-Zahra al-Hajjaj, said Monday that Najaf International Airport would reopen to Iranian flights within 24 hours, while an Iranian aviation official said no new decision had been made on resuming flights.
Kata’ib Hezbollah’s warning also came amid Baghdad’s efforts to bring weapons held by armed factions under state control. September 30 was initially set as the deadline for the factions to begin handing over their weapons, but Zaidi has since proposed a phased process under which disarmament could continue until mid-2027.
Kata’ib Hezbollah has previously rejected handing its weapons to the Iraqi state and set conditions for participating in the government’s disarmament process.
The group’s latest warning follows comments by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio last week accusing Kata’ib Hezbollah of firing into Saudi Arabia and damaging the kingdom’s East-West oil pipeline during the current regional conflict.
Meanwhile, Iraq is preparing to formally mark the end of the Coalition’s military mission. The government has scheduled a “Large Sovereignty Conference” in Baghdad on October 1, a day after the withdrawal deadline.
