In Baghdad, an Iran-backed armed group said on Monday that it will keep its pause on attacking the US embassy for another five days.
Since the war in the Middle East began, groups linked to Iran have been carrying out almost daily attacks on US targets in Iraq and nearby areas. At the same time, these groups have also been hit by strikes.
Last Thursday, Kataeb Hezbollah — which the US calls a terrorist group — said it would stop attacking the US embassy for a while, but only if certain conditions were met. These included stopping attacks on civilian areas in Iraq and in the southern suburbs of Beirut.
That area in Beirut is controlled by Hezbollah, another Iran-backed group that is currently fighting Israel.
On Monday, Kataeb Hezbollah said it is extending its deadline by five more days. The group warned that if there are any new attacks from the other side, it will respond. It also said it will share its plans with a mediator.
Iraq has been pulled into this conflict, even though it didn’t want to be. The situation got worse after US and Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28.
This latest announcement came after several overnight strikes hit a US diplomatic and logistics site at Baghdad International Airport.
Late Sunday, three more strikes hit areas south of Baghdad. Local officials said these strikes targeted positions linked to the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF), a group of paramilitary fighters.
A Kataeb Hezbollah member, speaking anonymously, said their group was one of the targets.
